Safe Port Act of 2006

Last update: Oct 3, 2006

September 30, 2006, will go down as a bad day for Internet gambling in the United States. The House of Representatives voted 409 to 2 in favor of the "Safe Port Act" of 2006. Tacked onto the end was unrelated legislation specifically addressing Internet gambling. The Senate had already voted 98 to 0 in favor. So as I understand it this is only lacking the president's signature to become law.

I could not find a permanent link to it on the House or Senate web sites so I'm making the full text of HR 4954 available here, with the link going to the beginning of the section relating to Internet gambling. Out of respect I put it on a blank page, without the usual advertising or links to other parts of the site.

This bill seems to be specific about going after financial transactions to Internet wagering sites, see section 5363. The intent is clearly to choke off Internet gambling by going after those who enable the movement of money. Is advertising covered under this, specifically section 5366b? My lawyer doesn't think so, noting that advertising is not specifically mentioned, as the previous attempt HR4411 did.

It could be argued that little will happen because U.S. players already could not use credit cards and few used bank wires. Most sites will probably do nothing, since they are not subject to U.S. laws. What I think is critical is what will happen to Neteller and other similar Internet financial institutions, that serve as buffers between the U.S. banks and the casinos. The first day of trading after this passed Neteller stock dropped 61%, and is 81% less then the all time high. For those of you looking for a place to play, Bodog is still taking U.S. players.

So in closing I think this will go down as yet another of many attempts to chip away at personal freedom in this country. I also say shame on every member of congress except the only two voting no, namely congressmen Jeff Flake (Rep-Ariz), and Ed Markey (Dem-Mass).

Links

I. Nelson Rose opinion

Neteller stock price

Legal issues with online gambling in the U.S. with special attention to advertising issues by Michael Bluejay

Is it legal for websites to advertise online gambling? by Michael Bluejay

    See important note about Bodog payouts & deposits.