New effort for Internet bet ban

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, said Thursday he plans to reintroduce legislation that would broadly prohibit gambling over the Internet, putting racing supporters on guard for language that could threaten simulcasting and account wagering.

At a press conference on Thursday in Washington, D.C., Goodlatte called Internet gambling a "vehicle for money laundering" and said it "undermines families and threatens the ability of states to enact and enforce their own laws." The bill was to be introduced late Thursday to the House Judiciary Committee, Goodlatte said in an interview.

The bill is being closely watched by horse racing lobbyists, who fear that a general restriction on Internet gambling could roll back the progress racing has made through simulcasting and telephone-account wagering.

Goodlatte said the bill would not prohibit any horse racing betting that is already sanctioned by federal law.