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Efforts to Overturn Online Gambling Ban Hampered by Partisan Fighting
printPartisan bickering and a backlog of legislation are stymieing congressional attempts to overturn a controversial ban on online gambling before a June enforcement deadline, according to analysts. Since its passage in October 2006, both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have attempted to repeal The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which requires financial institutions to block transactions involving "unlawful gaming activity." Financial lobbyists have labeled the bill overly burdensome because it fails to define what constitutes illegal gambling. In November, gambling industry groups asked the U.S. Treasury Department to extend UIGEA's Dec. 1 enforcement deadline by a year. The department agreed...
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