Like your bingo online? It may soon stop existing now that an Internet gambling ban has been approved by Congress. The ban was attached as a rider to a port security bill and is currently sitting on the desk of President Bush. Professor of Law I. Nelson Rose, in his article “Gambling and the Law®,” translates for us non-legal types:

“Although the DOJ (Department of Justice) has taken the position that the Wire Act covers all forms of gambling, courts have ruled that it is limited to bets on sports events and races. State anti-gambling statutes have similar weaknesses, including the presumption that they do not apply if part of the activity takes place overseas. This new statute requires that the Internet gambling be “unlawful.” But it would often be difficult to find a federal, state or tribal law that clearly made a specific Internet bet illegal.”

Internet gambling has become a $12 billion industry with more than 2,300 current web sites. The Wire Act, created in 1961, was intended to assist states, territories, and possessions of the United States, as well as the District of Columbia, in enforcing their respective laws on gambling and bookmaking and to suppress organized gambling activity. 

Last year, the WTO (World Trade Organization) ruled that the United States could ban Internet gaming within its borders, although it still allowed horse race betting and state lotteries. Fantasy football leagues will remain legal, but will be subject to certain restrictions. The new law also allows removal of links from search engines to online real-money sites. Bush is expected to sign the bill within the next two weeks.