Several factors have merged to make a 2006 U.S. ban on Internet g...

scant time for controversial bills, so anyone -- such as Sen. Kyl (R-Ariz.) -- aiming at Internet gambling won’t bring a separate bill but an amendment. And, Payne said, Kyl is likely to have a real fight on his hands trying to get re-elected, which will gobble his time. A 2nd factor making Internet gambling curbs less likely is that the cadre that opposed them last year -- the banking and online gaming industries, dog- and horseracing bodies, and Indian tribes -- still oppose them, and are even more unified. There even has been a “sea change” in the attitude of U.S. land-based casinos, now more alert to issues the sports, banking and other sectors have raised. Payne expects a far more single- minded approach by year’s end, with an even better 2007 outlook with regard to the U.S. view on online gaming, he said: “I'm very relaxed about how 2006 is starting and how it’s going to end.” The U.S. isn’t a barrier to Internet gambling, but emergence since 1999 of several huge companies (such as his own U.K.-based enterprise) will make it tough for new entrants, Payne said. Asked about the U.K. govt.’s planned global summit on online gaming, he said it will be “a fantastic thing” if regulators focus on how to regulate the industry “well and properly” and agree on international standards.