NBA POURS MORE MONEY INTO FIGHT AGAINST ONLINE GAMBLING

8 February 2008

Basketball body paid one Washington lobbyist $330 000 last year


The National Basketball Association in the U.S. paid McGuirewoods Consulting $280 000 in the second half of 2007, passing a total of $330 000 to the lobbying firm for the year, reports Associated Press.

The firm lobbied Congress to preserve the ban on sports gambling and to "strengthen prohibition against Internet gambling" along with federal decency guidelines, according to a mandatory form filed online Monday by the Senate's public records office.

Online gamblers are barred from collecting earnings on their wins by a law that makes it illegal for U.S. banks and credit-card companies to process payments to online gambling sites. However a growing number of representatives in Congress support a proposal that would regulate and tax Internet gambling through the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (see previous InfoPowa reports).

The NBA also lobbied on drugs and steroids policy and in support of work visas for foreign players.

Lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches, under a federal law enacted in 1995.

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