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Could This Be the Year for a Federal Bill on Online Gaming? |
Could this be the year for a Federal Bill on online gaming?
October 20, 2011 - Change may be in the
air for the US Congress when it comes to online gaming.
There are at
least two proposals before Congress: The first, H.R. 1174, would give the
federal government the power and authority to allow the licensing of Internet
casino games and poker. The second, H.R. 2366, would delegate most power and
authority to state and tribal regulators, and allow the licensing of Internet
poker only.
During the
last Congress, the House saw only one proposal, which was similar to H.R. 1174.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank, was sent to the floor of the House
after the House Financial Services Committee approved it 41-22, but a vote on
the floor never occurred.
One sign
that Congress members may be seriously considering the legislation this time
around is a letter sent from key U.S. Senators to Attorney General Eric
Holder this past summer. The letter, cosigned by Arizona's notoriously
anti-gaming Senator Jon Kyl and Nevada's notoriously pro-gaming Senator and
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, asked Holder and the Department of Justice
to aggressively pursue those offering illegal Internet gambling in the United
States.
The letter
also requests that Holder "reiterate the Department's longstanding
position that federal law prohibits gambling over the Internet, including
intra-state gambling (e.g., lotteries)." The Senators do not address the
intrastate Internet exception Congress included in the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
While the
letter could be interpreted as an indication that any form of Internet gaming
is not likely to occur before the November 2012 national elections, it might
also be seen as an indication that the federal government is getting ready to
take action before states decide to pass their own intrastate legislation.
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VENTURE BETS ON ONLINE GAMBLING'S FUTURE |
Venture Bets On Online Gambling Future
June 20, 2011
U.S. Digital
Gaming, a venture backed by prominent casino executives, is moving ahead with
its business plan in the hopes that onlinegambling will become legal in the
U.S. Alexandra Berzon has the story.
Wall
Street Journal
Whats Next For Online Poker Players?
May 5, 2011 ~ Ifrah
Law
According to the Poker
Players Alliance, there are 50,000 professional poker players now looking
for jobs as a result of the shutdown. Not surprisingly, some are talking about
moving overseas, where online poker is legal, in order to earn their living.
Since studies have shown that many online poker players are young without
families of their own and can therefore move more easily, there is reason to
believe that at least some players will follow through on this. The PokerStars
Q&A section has even addressed this topic, advising players that their
accounts will be reactivated if they can provide proof of residency outside the
United States. However, players must permanently
relocate in order to play. American players merely traveling outside of the United States are not permitted to play from
abroad.
After the shutdown, poker
players do have other options available to play. However, `none is as secure
and convenient as the affected websites which had earned such trust and massive
player followings. Players hope for the return of those sites even as the
government pushes them toward riskier options.
Read the
full article here
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BILL BREWING TO LEGALIZE INTERNET POKER |
Bill Brewing to Legalize Internet Poker
June 21, 2011
If Rep. Joe
Barton had his way, it would be legal for Americans to bet money on online
poker.
The Texas
Republican, senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and an
avid poker player, is readying a bill that would legalize online poker and
create a new federal regulatory agency to oversee the websites.
But Barton
isn't the only lawmaker pushing the issue
on the federal level. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., will reintroduce legislation
to tax licensed Internet gaming in the United States. His measure is a companion to
legislation introduced by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., that would legalize and
regulate online gambling.
"Legalizing,
regulating and taxing Internet gambling just makes sense," McDermott said.
"Right now, the U.S. loses billion of dollars to
off-shore gambling and illegal gambling rings because of an unrealistic and
virtually unenforceable policy."
LAS
VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
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