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This letter was sent by OpenCongress user JohanDeKing on December 23, 2011 in support of H.R.2366 Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011. Privacy setting: PUBLIC
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H.R.2366 Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011
I am writing as your constituent in the 9th Congressional district of Ohio. I support H.R.2366 - Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.
Please Vote for the bill.
Sincerely,
John King
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Sherrod Brown [D, OH] on December 23, 2011.
Thank you for contacting my office
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Thank you for sending me your comments. Listening to the views of the people I represent in the U.S. Senate is a critical part of my job. I do my best to provide every Ohioan with a prompt response. If you have an urgent matter, please feel free to call any of my offices in Ohio or Washington, DC.

If you have not done so already, please visit my Senate website (http://brown.senate.gov) for comprehensive information about my work in the Senate, as well as constituent services that my office provides and how to get connected with federal programs.

Or, you may be interested in receiving my e-Newsletters to stay connected with what's happening in Congress of importance to Ohio. Sign up for regular updates on the work I am doing in the Senate, and please select a few issues to get newsletter updates on specific topics as subjects arise. Sign-up here: http://brown.senate.gov/newsletter/landing
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Sherrod Brown [D, OH] on January 06, 2012.
Reply from Senator Sherrod Brown
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Dear Mr. King:

Thank you for expressing your views on Internet gambling.

The Internet has become a major portal of communication in today?s world. It transmits all kinds of information and serves as a common form of communication between all citizens; this has transferred to the realm of gambling as well.

Americans bet more than $6 billion a year online. Online gambling opponents argue that because it is largely unregulated, online gambling tempts children and offers an opportunity for criminals to launder money. Regulating the industry is a problem in that most online gambling operations are based overseas and out of reach of US regulation.

On September 30, 2006, Congress passed and sent to President Bush the SAFE Port Act, which included the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

This legislation makes it illegal for Americans to use financial instruments, such as checks and credit cards, to play online poker, place bets, and engage in other forms of gambling. However, the title exempts intrastate and intratribal Internet gambling operations that feature age and location verification requirements imposed as a matter of law.

Currently, bills to repeal or alter the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act -- such as H.R. 2366 and H.R. 1174, which you referenced -- have been introduced in the House of Representatives. Similar legislation has not yet been introduced in the Senate. Should these bills come before the Senate for a vote, I will keep your views in mind. Thank you again for getting in touch with me.

Sincerely,

Sherrod Brown
United States Senator



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