NFL enlists support of the Christian right

[Mousey]

I didn't really know where to put this... if it needs moving, Simmo can move it....

Christian right enlisted in US battle against sports gambling
By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington

Published: August 14 2007 03:00 | Last updated: August 14 2007 03:00

The National Football League has enlisted the support of the Christian right to help drum up opposition to a proposal in Congress that would legalise sports betting and reverse sweeping prohibitions on online gambling that were passed last year.

The primary target of the lobbying campaign by the sports league and Focus on the Family, the evangelical group headed by James Dobson, is a proposal introduced this year by Barney Frank, the powerful Democratic lawmaker, that would undo the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.

The law strengthened federal anti-gambling laws and wiped billions of dollars in value from foreign gaming companies that had operated in the US while the anti-gambling statutes were more ambiguous.

In a July 31 e-mail obtained by the Financial Times, Bill Wichterman - a Washington lobbyist for the NFL who served as a top adviser to Bill Frist, former Republican majority leader - encouraged conservative groups to co-sign a letter to Congress that ostensibly was written by Focus on the Family.

"The threat posed by the Frank legislation is very real, and we must actively work against it," Mr Wichterman wrote.

The letter was co-signed by the Christian Coalition and American Values, among others.

It urged members of Congress to protect the integrity of the 2006 act, and cautioned that lawmakers should be wary of "mis-information campaigns" by"foreign gambling inter-ests".

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[winbig]

Talk about a bunch of hypocrites. Like you've never seen a CASINO NIGHT advertised at any given church.