| WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Bob Goodlatte today
praised the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for their efforts to warn parents
about the dangers of online gambling to children. The FTC released
the results of an informal survey of popular gaming web sites, in which
they found that minors can access these sites easily, and that minors are
in fact often exposed to ads for online gambling on non-gambling web sites.
"The results of this survey underscore the importance
of Congress acting now to pass legislation which will crack down on the
growing problem of illegal off-shore gambling,” Goodlatte said.
“The
spread of gambling brings with it the onslaught of a host of social ills
including bankruptcy, addiction, family break-down and even suicide.
Web users including children, who make up the largest percentage of Internet
users, are constantly confronted with unsolicited banner ads, linking to
Internet gambling sites. These sites operate without all of the necessary
safeguards that are in place for the legalized gaming industry, which ensure
that children are protected from gambling.”
“Of the more than 2000 illegal off-shore gambling
sites attempting to circumvent U.S. law by locating themselves off-shore
and out of our jurisdictional reach, the FTC only surveyed 100,” Goodlatte
said. “Clearly this is a widespread problem. The FTC survey
touches only the tip of the iceberg.”
Goodlatte has introduced legislation, H.R 3215, the
Combating Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act, to crack down
on the growing problem of illegal off-shore gambling. This legislation
was recently reported out of the Judiciary Committee and is awaiting House
floor consideration.
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