John Conyers: “the motion I offer today is a simple and straightforward one. It makes sure that underage kids cannot gamble on the…”

“the motion I offer today is a simple and straightforward one. It makes sure that underage kids cannot gamble on the Internet, whether it is connection to interstate or intrastate betting. This is something that I hope that all Members can agree on on a bipartisan basis for, to me, protecting children from being taken advantage of on the Internet is one of the most important things we can do as Members of the Congress. They should not be taken advantage of whether it is with regard to gambling, pornography or any other respect. Children should be off limits to predators of any form on the Internet. The problem is, as currently drafted, the bill has a loophole. Intrastate bets have protections in general, but interstate bets are excluded. My concerns are not hypothetical. Two months ago, the Baltimore Sun ran an article where the horse racing industry admitted that they hoped to prosper by reaching out to underage children. I have made this article a part of the Record, and I hope that you will examine it. {time} 1445 To me, that is not right, and we ought to make sure that this legislation, which is purportedly designed to limit Internet gambling, does not actually encourage it, especially for children. Now, I would expect that the other side may argue, for example, that my amendment will gut the bill. But that is not true. The amendment merely serves to protect against underage gambling over the Internet.…”