US: Former FBI Director calls for new Internet gambling law

Freeh served as the Director for America’s highest federal law enforcement agency from 1993 to 2001 and is currently an advisor to the FairPlayUSA lobby group alongside Ridge, who was a member of the Cabinet as Secretary for the United States Department of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005 under President George W Bush.

“We all know that Internet gambling takes place in a borderless enterprise outside an already ambiguous policy arena that affects millions of Americans,” read the article, “Unlicensed and unregulated online gambling websites may very well now proliferate more than ever, all still lacking safeguards against fraud, underage gambling and money laundering. And, unfortunately, individual states simply do not possess the necessary law enforcement tools to effectively police gambling in a borderless Internet.”
The pair wrote that ‘leading professional law enforcement organisations’ such as the Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of District Attorneys and the National Association of Police Organizations had publicly stated that federal Internet gambling laws are in need of reform and that online poker should be ‘strictly regulated’. They outlined four key steps that federal policy makers should consider, “First, modernise and strengthen the Wire Act as well as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 to eliminate illegal Internet gambling and unambiguously define related crimes.

Provide federal law enforcement agencies with additional tools to crack down on rogue operators and empower those agencies to shut down illegal sites, working with financial institutions to stop illegal gambling. Protect the rights of states to determine what forms of gambling are legal within their borders by giving them the authority to accept or prohibit online poker and mandate geo-location tools to block consumers in prohibited jurisdictions.

Finally, establish a strict and uniform gambling regulatory framework for licensing and enforcement of online poker only in jurisdictions that choose to accept the activity with state-of-the-art technology and strong regulations.

“These steps are critical to protect millions of Americans from shady offshore operators, especially in light of the DC Council's recent decision repealing the city's Internet gambling law. Applying old laws to new problems poses significant challenges to a clear understanding of the law but if Congress can move quickly those challenges can be addressed. We hope they will.”