WASHINGTON — The House Committee on Financial Services' Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology questioned the regulations implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

But Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) defended the bill noting that the attorney's general from 45 states wrote to support the act and against a bill currently before Congress, authored by Barney Frank (D-Mass), which would largely repeal it. Bachus pointed out that since the act has passed, Internet gambling has fallen off among college age youth and that the FBI and Department of Justice has testified that Internet gambling has been a vehicle to launder money and finance terrorism.

Frank spoke against both the Act and the proposed regulations, noting that he disapproved of the Act's attempt to “regulate the leisure activities of adult Americans” but noting that even backers of the Act should want to clear up the problems with the regulations flowing from the act.