WASHINGTON, July 28/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- We are pleased to report that there are now50 members of Congress signed on as co-sponsors of the InternetGambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act (H.R.2267), legislation introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman ofthe House Committee on Financial Services

"Reaching this milestone illustrates that momentum isgrowing for a shift in U.S. policy and a rewrite of U.S. Internetgambling laws," said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe andSecure Internet Gambling Initiative. "The list of supporters willcontinue to grow as more representatives are educated on the subjectand increasingly hear from their constituents that Internet gamblingregulation presents the only viable way to protect consumers, sinceattempts to prohibit the activity have completely failed. We alsoexpect an increased spotlight on Internet gambling as a way to augmentfederal revenues and help cover the cost of necessary policyinitiatives."

Among the bipartisan group of 50 co-sponsors are manysenior ranking representatives, including George Miller (D-CA),chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor; John Conyers (D-MI),chairman of the Committee of the Judiciary; Charles Rangel (D-NY),chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means; Edolphus Towns (D-NY),chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Pete King(R-NY), ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee; and Ron Paul(R-TX), vice-chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee.(A complete list of co-sponsors is included below.)

Rep. Frank's bill would establish a framework to permitlicensed gambling operators to accept wagers from individuals in theU.S. and mandates a number of significant consumer protections,including safeguards against compulsive and underage gambling, moneylaundering, fraud and identify theft. Additional provisions in thelegislation reinforce the rights of each state to determine whether toallow Internet gambling activity for people accessing the Internetwithin the state and to apply other restrictions on the activity asdetermined necessary. The legislation also would allow states andNative American tribes with experience in regulating gambling to play arole in the regulatory process.

An analysis shows that collecting taxes on regulatedInternet gambling would allow the U.S. to capture much-needed revenuein an amount ranging from $48.6 billion (excluding online sportsgambling) to $62.7 billion (including online sports gambling) over thenext decade.

The following is a complete list of Internet GamblingRegulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2267)co-sponsors:

Alaska

• Don Young (R At-Large)
  

Arizona

• Raul Grijalva (D 7th)
  

California

• Michael Thompson (D 1st)
• George Miller (D 7th)
• Michael Honda (D 15th)
• Linda Sanchez (D 39th)
• Bob Filner (D 51st)
  

Colorado

• Jared Polis (D 2nd)
• Ed Perlmutter (D 7th)
  

Connecticut

• Joe Courtney (D 2nd)
  

Florida

• Robert Wexler (D 19th)
• Alcee Hastings (D 23rd)
  

Hawaii

• Neil Abercrombie (D 1st)
  

Idaho

• Walt Minnick (D 1st)
  

Illinois

• Luis Gutierrez (D 4th)
• Bill Foster (D 14th)
  

Indiana

• Andre Carson (D 7th)
  

Massachusetts

• James McGovern (D 3rd)
• Barney Frank (D 4th)
• Michael Capuano (D 8th)
• William Delahunt (D 10th)
  

Michigan

• John Conyers (D 14th)
  

Nevada

• Shelley Berkley (D 1st)
  

New Hampshire

• Paul Hodes (D 2nd)
  

New Jersey

• Robert Andrews (D 1st)
• Frank LoBiondo (R 2nd)
• John Adler (D 3rd)
• Steven Rothman (D 9th)
  

New York

• Tim Bishop (D 1st)
• Steve Israel (D 2nd)
• Peter King (R 3rd)
• Carolyn McCarthy (D 4th)
• Gary Ackerman (D 5th)
• Joseph Crowley (D 7th)
• Jerrold Nadler (D 8th)
• Edolphus Towns (D 10th)
• Mike McMahon (D 13th)
• Charles Rangel (D 15th)
• Paul Tonko (D 21st)
  

North Carolina

• Melvin Watt (D 12th)
  

Ohio

• Steve Driehaus (D 1st)
• Tim Ryan (D 17th)
  

Oregon

• Earl Blumenauer (D 3rd)
  

Tennessee

• Steve Cohen (D 9th)
  

Texas

• Ron Paul (R 14th)
• Ciro Rodriguez (D 23rd)
  

Virginia

• Bobby Scott (D 3rd)
• Tom Perriello (D 5th)
• James Moran (D 8th)
  

Washington

• Jim McDermott (D 7th)
  

About Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative
The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative promotes thefreedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards toprotect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions.For more information on the Initiative, please visit www.safeandsecureig.org.The Web site provides a means by which individuals can register supportfor regulated Internet gambling with their elected representatives.