Bush Administration Moves Forward on Midnight Rulemaking to Force ... - Marke****ch

[I Heart Gambling Online]

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bush Administration
is working to finalize regulations to enforce a ban on Internet gambling
despite concerns raised by leading financial service companies that the
regulations are ambiguous, burdensome and not likely to stop millions of
Americans from gambling online. It is expected that the regulations, issued
to implement the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
(UIGEA), will be finalized at the last minute before they can be stopped by
the Obama Administration - an orchestrated move being linked to a former
National Football League (NFL) lobbyist now working in the Bush
Administration. The NFL has actively campaigned against clarifying UIGEA
and has opposed legislation introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to
regulate online gambling in order to protect consumers and generate
billions for critical State and Federal programs.

"At a time when the financial system is in crisis, it is irresponsible
for the Bush Administration to rush through a fundamentally flawed
regulation that even representatives of the Treasury Department and Federal
Reserve have stated on record is unworkable," said Jeffrey Sandman,
spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. "We are
skeptical of the Administration's motivation to get this done at the very
last minute, especially given the apparent involvement of a NFL lobbyist
turned Bush appointee."