The Republican Platform Committee today stripped language urging a prohibition of Internet gambling from its draft platform.

Anti-internet gambling language had been included in the last two party platforms, in 2000 and 2004, and was in the proposed platform for this year's election.  But it was removed just ahead of next week's Republican National Committee meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The removal of the anti-internet gambling language from the party's platform represents a victory for the PPA which has lobbied to keep internet gambling legal. The million-member group has been especially active this election year, spending USD 1.2 million during the first half of 2008 and its members contributing more than USD 350,000 to candidates this election year.

Opponents of the proposed anti-internet gambling language in the party's platform had flooded the Republican party's website with comments urging Republicans to drop their platform opposition to online gambling. According to CQPolitics, the latest draft of the party's platform released today dropped the language. The website indicated that, according to Sen. Burr, the Internet gambling provision was one of several smaller-ticket items left on the cutting-room floor.