Gambling Industry Fights Online Ban in Court

By WAYNE PARRY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTIC CITY A gambling industry group argued in federal court Wednesday that a new federal law against transmitting online bets outside the United States violates people’s right to gamble in the privacy of their own homes.

Because filtering technology already exists to make sure children and compulsive gamblers cannot access offshore betting sites, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act serves only to stifle gambling companies, the group’s lawyers said.

The federal government has not yet applied the law.

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association, which sued the federal government in U.S. District Court in Trenton this summer, ultimately wants the law declared unconstitutional.

The U.S. Justice Department wants the lawsuit dismissed.

Judge Mary L. Cooper heard arguments in the case Wednesday morning and said she expects to rule within 30 days.

Edward Leyden, president of the industry association, said the law is limiting an industry whose revenues he estimated at $50 billion to $60 billion a year.

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