The bill is a response to fears in the US over the rapid growth of gambling on the internet. The River City Group, an on-line gambling industry consultancy, forecasts that this market will reach an estimated value of $3 billion by 2002. Arguments in favour of the law have included putting more safeguards on the internet to protect children and families from financial ruin.
However, other responses to the proposal have highlighted the problems associated with legislation restricting internet use. Congress Representative Anna Eshoo argues that “The blocking provisions in the legislation intrude on individual privacy. They attempt to put artificial boundaries on the internet, when the internet is designed specifically to transcend boundaries.”
The U.K. government is expected to update gaming legislation in response to the internet and other technological advances in 2001. Current measures limit on-line gambling by prohibiting the sale of lottery tickets on-line and restricting casino gambling to licensed premises on which the gambler must be physically present.