It has been confirmed that online gambling prohibition activists in the U.S. Senate (under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist) were successful at getting certain measures of the Internet Betting Prohibition bill attached to a Port Security bill, which only needs a voice vote by the Senate and a signature by President Bush to be enacted into law. Despite concerns that passing this bill would severely impact the online casino gambling industry in a negative way, Frist was forced to compromise certain measures of the bill, resulting in legislation that is focused on blocking financial channels to and from online casino gaming sites, poker rooms and sportsbooks, as well as dropped amendments to the presiding U.S. law having the most impact on techno-communicable forms of gambling: The Wire Act of 1961.

The compromised measures specifically make it illegal for financial institutions, banks and credit card companies to process financial transactions with online gambling sites, which the financial institutions have long been saying is an impractical request. There is no way for banks to monitor electronic checks made with online casinos, not to mention the myriad of alternative means that gamblers can use to fund their gambling accounts without detection. The last word by the banks is that the provisions are unrealistic, ill-informed and unenforceable.

Some of the most telling conclusions about the compromised measures are that Neteller may cave in to the pressure and end up closing its doors to American bettors (even though they are a foreign company), that it will take up to 270 days for the Federal Bank to come up with a plan on how to best enforce the measures, that no components of the bill criminalizes bettors, that the only activities criminalized are bookmaking operations and sending/receiving gambling payments, that all of the responsibilities to conform to the measures are put upon US banking operations, deposit and withdrawal processors and other eCash processors, and that U.S. hosting companies of illegal online casino gaming sites will have to cease doing so.

To say the least, many Democrats were outraged by Frist's underhanded tactics and abuse of power. The irony of it all was that many Democrats who were paramount in helping to get the Port Security bill drawn up, were blocked out of final negotiations that included Frist's attached online gambling prohibition measures. As for the Port Security bill, it will require the government to complete its installation of radiation-detecting equipment at twenty-two major U.S ports before 2008. Obviously, the anti-online casino gaming measures are anything but unrelated....Sarcasm intended.