Against the odds: Congress tackling online gambling

13.06.2003, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Against the odds: Congress tackling online gambling».

Forget porn; the hottest action online these days is gambling, with an estimated 1,800 Web casinos and gaming sites offering the promise of easy money -- and all the action of Las Vegas or Churchill Downs -- right from a personal computer.

With Congress about to vote on a federal law that would halt the practice, more sites keep going online, trying to lure customers with discounts, bonus bucks, easy credit-card betting and even free satellite-TV systems. The latest draw was last Saturday's Belmont Stakes, with online sites offering wagers on Funny Cide's eventually unsuccessful bid to take the Triple Crown. It's all part of one of the Net's thorniest and most lucrative issues, involving racetracks and brick-and-mortar casinos that also want in on the Internet action, as well as lobbyists, gambling critics, religious groups and online-gaming fans who routinely break the law to place their bets. In most states, it is illegal to place a bet through an online site. The U.S. Department of Justice has ''great concern'' about online gambling. Minors are doing it, Justice argues. Plus, it says, organized crime has a hand in it and unregulated overseas sites are stacking the odds in the favor of the house. But the warnings aren't stopping many. An estimated one million Americans place bets online daily -- enough to make Internet gambling an estimated $6 billion annual industry by the end of the year, according to the Interactive Gaming Council, a trade group of some 70 online gambling businesses.

MILLIONS OF FANS The Pew Internet and American Life Project estimates that 4.5 million Americans -- nearly 5 percent of the online population -- have tried it. Residents of 12 states, including California, Kentucky, New York and Ohio -- can legally bet on horse races online through TVG ( www.tvgnetwork.com), a service that is owned by Gemstar-TV Guide International and that has an exclusive contract with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. A 41-year-old federal law bars gambling businesses that use phones or any ''wire communication facility'' to wager across state lines. The Justice Department interprets that to include the Internet, though officials concede that case law hasn't been firmly established. That's why the FBI and Justice are pushing for a law outlawing Internet gambling. Because the betting is done on personal computers in homes, college dorms and office cubicles, it is difficult for states to prosecute. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox says it's hard to make a case against an online gambler and even harder to charge the online casino operators -- who invariably are based overseas.

JUST A BIT OUTSIDE ''They operate just beyond the reach of most law enforcement,'' Cox said. ". . . It's going to take a more concerted effort by state and federal officials, along with greater resources, if we are effectively going to crack down on these sites.'' Some states are trying. In Tallahassee, Adrian McPherson, 20, an ex-quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles, is scheduled to go on trial today. The charge: betting on sporting events -- including his team's games -- through SBG Global, a Costa Rica-based online casino. The trial calls attention to foreign-owned casinos, typically based in the Caribbean, South America or the Far East, that flout U.S. laws. SBG Global, clearly unconcerned about those laws, assures its customers that it is foreign owned and that, ''as such, [it] does not report any client information to any governmental agencies.'' The company has refused to provide information to Florida officials prosecuting McPherson. With so much money on the virtual tables, some U.S. gambling are testing the waters. MGM Mirage, owner of the MGM Grand casino in Detroit, runs an online casino from the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, offering Vegas-style games like blackjack, craps, roulette, slot machines and video poker. The site rejects credit cards issued in the United States and other jurisdictions where online gambling is illegal. But it serves as a test site that could be quickly expanded if -- as many expect -- online gambling is eventually made legal.

CREDIT END-AROUND Gambling sites typically require a minimum deposit of $100, which most allow to be charged to a credit card. American Express, MasterCard and Visa generally refuse to process gambling transactions. But many online casinos get around that by billing the charges under different classifications. Industry estimates are that credit-card companies reject about 50 percent of credit-card gambling charges. Congress has wrestled with the issue for years. Pending is a bill from Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, that would require Western Union, U.S. banks and credit-card firms to filter out or block transactions related to online wagering. It is expected to pass the House any day. Still, says Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, prohibiting online gambling would make the U.S. like 'totalitarian regimes who limit their citizens' access to the Internet.'' ''Just as outlawing alcohol did not work in the 1920s,'' Conyers said, "current attempts to prohibit online gaming will not work, either.''

Über Glücksspiele Las Vegas - Gambling in Las Vegas:

Las Vegas liegt im Westen der USA im Bundesstaat Nevada und ist das Glücksspiel-Paradies von Amerika.

Las Vegas hat rund 100 Spielcasinos. Im Bundesstaat Nevada sind sogar über 300 Spielcasinos registriert. Die grössten Casinos sind das Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Venetian / Palazzo, Wynn / Encore, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay.

Weitere bekannte Casinos sind das Mirage, frühere Heimat von Siegfried und Roy, das Luxor in Form einer Pyramide oder das Casino Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, in welchem jährlich die Pokerweltmeisterschaft (World Series of Poker WSOP) durchgeführt wird.

Die bekanntesten zwei Strassen sind der Las Vegas Boulevard, welcher auch als Las Vegas Strip bezeichnet wird. Daneben ist die Fremont Street eine gut besuchte Casino-Meile, wo beispielsweise das legendäre Casino Binion's (vormals Binion's Horseshoe) seine Spiele anbietet.

Las Vegas erstreckt sich über eine Fläche von 340 km2 und hat rund 650'000 Einwohner.

--- Ende Artikel / Pressemitteilung Against the odds: Congress tackling online gambling ---


Weitere Informationen und Links:

Weitere Nachrichten der Gaming-Branche