Bush makes Internet gambling in US illegal

Placing bets over the Internet was effectively criminalized by the federal government Friday, as lawmakers work to eliminate an activity pursued by up to 23 million Americans who wagered an estimated $6 billion last year.

Attached to a port-security bill signed by President Bush on Friday was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibits online gamblers from using credit cards, checks and electronic-fund transfers to place and settle bets.

The law leaves enforcement up to banks and other U.S. financial institutions, some of which fought the legislation.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., said he opposes all gambling, citing its "ill effects on society," but particularly Internet gambling, which led him to draft the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., attached Goodlatte's bill to the port-security bill to ensure its passage and Bush's signature.

While proponents decried the effects of gambling on society, opponents pointed to the popularity of Internet gambling and compared the new law to the Prohibition amendment of 1919, which led to the rise of illegal speakeasies and organized crime.

The new law is potentially crippling to a worldwide industry whose biggest customer has been the United States. Several online wagering businesses already have pulled out of the United States and some have collapsed, including publicly traded companies in Britain, where online betting is legal and regulated.

In the United States, the Justice Department and federal courts are unable to agree on whether Internet gambling is illegal.

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Yahoo’s acquisitions since 1997

This is a list of corporate acquisitions made by Yahoo!, since 1997. We believe this is an interesting retrospection of all acquisitions in the context of Google’s aggressive buyout strategy and the highly expected Yahoo’s respond to Google’s recent YouTube purchase. What is Yahoo going to acquire? Who is the next, another video site or it is going to be a site from totally different sector on the web?

1997
September 1997 – Net Controls ($1.4 Million)
October 1997 – Four11 ($92 Million)

1998
March 1998 – Classic Games
June 1998 – ViaWeb ($49 Million)
July 1998 – WebCal
December 1998 – Yoyodyne for ($29.6 Million)
December 1998 – Sportacy

1999
January 1999 – Hyperparellel ($8 Million)
February 1999 – Log-Me-On ($10 Million)
May 1999 – GeoCities ($3.6 Billion)
May 1999 – Encompass ($130m)
June 1999 – Online Anywhere ($80m)
July 1999 – Broadcast.com ($5.7 Billion)
November 1999 – MyQuest

2000
March 2000 – Arthas.com
August 2000 – eGroups ($432 Million)
November 2000 – Kimo ($145 Million)

2001
April 2001 – Sold.com ($30 Million)
June 2001 – Launch Media ($12 Million)

2002
January 2002 – Hotjobs ($436 Million)
December 2002 – Inktomi ($235 Million)

2003
February 2003 – Alltheweb ($100 Million)
October 2003 – Overture ($1.63 Billion)

2004
January 2004 – 3721 Internet Assistant
April 2004 – Kelkoo ($579 Million)
July 2004 - Oddpost
October 2004 – MusicMatch ($160 Million)
October 2004 - Stata Labs, Inc.

2005
February 2005 - Verdisoft (a software development company for $93 million)
March 2005 – Ludicorp Research, owner of Flickr ($40 Million)
March 2005 - Stadeon (cross-platform gaming technology)
April 2005 - TeRespondo (Brazilian performance-based advertising network)
June 2005 – Dialpad
June 2005 – Blo.gs
July 2005 – Konfabulator
October 2005 - Alibaba (purchased approximately 46 percent of Alibaba, an e-commerce company based in China for $1 billion in cash and the contribution of Yahoo! China)
October 2005 – Upcoming.org
October 2005 – Whereonearth
December 2005 – del.icio.us


2006
September 2006 – Jumpcut

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