On Wednesday 17th July a Senate subcommittee heard from witnesses and senators that a US unregulated online gambling world could be helping terrorists, pornographers, drug dealers and even human traffickers!
With the only way to stop these evils would be to have a federal regulated law for online gambling, but what the law would be is still unclear.
The hearing of the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee is Congress’s first on the topic since the legislatures of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware approved online gambling.
“What we have here is a free-for-all,” Sen. Kelly Ayotte said. “Shame on us if we don’t get something done on this. When I think about the issues of money laundering, terrorism [and] drug trafficking, … I hope this is something we move on very quickly.”
Ayotte was responding to the testimony of Fraternal Order of Police National President Chuck Canterbury and Washington attorney Jack Blum, both of whom said the federal government needs to create a national regulatory scheme because state authorities are ill-equipped to deal with the interstate and international finance problems caused by online wagering.
“We’re always behind the eight ball on technology,” Canterbury said. “Local law enforcement won’t be able to attack money laundering and terrorist activity with 50 laws” for 50 states.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal even suggested that human traffickers and pornographers are taking advantage of the ability to shift money around in online casinos.
“And so, the two worlds merge, pornography and online casinos,” he said.
