A coalition of companies that have pressed Congress to regulate rather than ban Internet gambling in the United States said Monday that a segment [view above] on CBS News' "60 Minutes" demonstrated "unambiguously that the existing government prohibition on Internet gambling is a failure and a mistake." "The millions of Americans who continue to gamble online are vulnerable to being defrauded by offshore operators who exploit U.S. prohibition policies, leaving U.S. consumers without legal protections when they make a bet or play poker online," Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative spokesman Jeffrey Sandman said.

Left out of the story, which aired Sunday, were details about legislation introduced last year by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, which would establish an enforcement framework for licensed gambling operators to accept bets from U.S. individuals. "As the coverage reveals, the structure of the Internet allows for greater protections since there is a complete audit trail of all Internet gambling activity and transactions. A companion piece of legislation would ensure the collection of taxes on regulated Internet gambling activities," Sandman said.