As more online gambling companies back out of the US after the anti-online gambling legislation surprised the industry, the bill and its ramifications is beginning to seep into mainstream media and the general public.

But was Jack Abramoff one of the reasons it got passed in the first place?

An interesting theory as to how and why the bill was attached surreptitiously to an unrelated, yet hugely important safe-port bill has begun to filter out - with the sceptre of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff popping up as one of the main antagonists.

When Bob Goodlatte initially brought up this phase of the anti-online gambling bill, earlier this year, he wrote a letter to his colleagues claiming simply "This is the bill Jack Abramoff does not want you to sign."

Abramoff was heavily against the bill - and had lobbied against it on behalf of a client, E-Lottery. This prompted a lull in interest during 2005. When the Abramoff scandal erupted, it was perfect timing for pro-bill lobbyists to come back to the forefront.

However, the bill was still not expected to make it through to the Senate. It initially got blocked when Frist tried to attach it to a defence bill.

But Mr Frist had bigger things in mind and was determined to see the bill through regardless. As a potential presidential candidate in 2008, he was after support from fellow Republican - namely Jim Leach - who's support could be crucial - and was also a proponent of the anti-gaming bill. Ultimately he stuck it on the back of the Safe Port Act.

Was Mr Frist really using the controversial, and largely unsupported anti-online gambling bill as a stepping stone to White House ambitions?

One may never know

Whatever the case, it seems the ghost of Abramoff and the ludicrous nature of US politics has won the day - ultimately making the US public the ones to suffer

Leading the corporate lobbying effort in support of the bill - and in opposition to the efforts of UK companies such as SportingBet and PartyGaming - was the National Football League, which said it wanted to crack down on sports betting because it hurts the integrity and perception of football in America. Public records show the NFL has spent more than $3m on lobbying since 1998. Last year, it paid one Washington company, Covington & Burling, $700,000 to lobby on gambling and other issues. Two of its lobbyists, Martin Gold and Bill Wichterman, are former senior aides to Dr Frist.

While lobbyists hired by Sportingbet and Partygaming believed passage of the bill was a long shot, the US Chamber of Commerce, another powerful lobbying group, argued passage of the legislation would create a regulatory burden on financial institutions that will now be charged with scrutinising transactions to see if they are gambling-related.

But the pleading of the US Chamber was ignored. One day before Saturday's vote on the legislation, two lobbyists who followed the bill alleged the last-minute intervention of the White House, which encouraged Republican senators to support the legislation, gave the bill the momentum it needed to be attached to the port security bill and passed by the Senate.

Article: Lobbying scandal revived drive against online gambling