GOP standing firm on Web gambling ban

Citing the Obama administration's recent bust of online poker sites, Republican lawmakers are standing firmly behind the current ban on Internet gambling and regarding Rep. Barney Frank's (D-MA) bill to legalize Web gambling a dead letter.

“Off-shore Internet gambling sites operating in the United States are all illegal and therefore, by definition, are criminal enterprises," said House Financial Services Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) in response to the FBI's seizure of the three largest online poker sites. Chairman Bachus has been one of the strongest opponents of legalizing online gambling; he co-sponsored the 2006 law that specifically outlawed the practice. Opponents of Web gambling also argue that the sites serve as hubs for money laundering for drug traffickers and terrorists, allowing them to move vast sums of money quickly while avoiding detection.