Online Gambling is a form of playing games of chance or skill for money, or for entertainment purposes. It includes casinos, sports books, and virtual poker.
Several countries allow online gambling, including the United States and Canada. Several provinces in Canada, however, restrict it. In the United States, online gambling is legal only in certain places, including some provinces in the Caribbean Sea. However, federal criminal statutes are implicated by illegal gambling on the Internet.
As a result, several legal challenges have been raised against the enforcement of these laws. The main arguments are based on the Commerce Clause and free speech rights. While these issues have not been fully resolved, the attacks have been successful.
Some state officials have expressed concern that the Internet could be used to bring illegal gambling into their jurisdictions. However, this concern has been limited. A recent report from the Frost & Sullivan research firm found that in 1998, revenue from online gambling topped $830 million.
These concerns have prompted the introduction of a bill called the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. This legislation was introduced in the US Senate in 1999, and would have prohibited the use of the Internet for illegal online gambling.
Since the bill was not passed, several similar bills have been proposed in the House. One of these bills was introduced by Rep. Barney Frank.
Another bill, titled the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, was introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte. Both bills would modify the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.