Gambling Bill in Trouble

The House Financial Services Committee approved a gambling bill proposed by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Ma) that would license and regulate online gambling in the United States on July 28th, 2010. The bill, H.R. 2267 would regulate and tax online gambling and free up options for Americans to fund thier play. Many players from the United States hoped that it would go before a full house and be voted on before the mid-term elections, but it's beginning to look like it may not.

“I’m not optimistic,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told The Hill. Rep. Frank says that it is unlikely that the measure will hit the House floor before the midterm elections. While this may be the case, some say that the bill might move in the lame-duck session as an attachment to a jobs or tax bill. Sources from MSNBC have said that regulating with taxation online gambling could bring in much needed revenue for the federal and state governments while also creating jobs.

I see no issues with attaching it to a larger bill and wouldn't mind seeing that done. Online gamblers and poker players had no chance to voice opinions about online gambling when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was attached to a port security authorization bill in the October of 2006 by the Bush Administration. Like him or not, Rep. Frank has been a strong advocate to legalize players right to fund online poker and gambling since that day and we wish him full success on getting this bill through this year.

Source:

The Hill, thehill.com/homenews/