Barney Frank's Internet Gambling has Backing, Sent to Subcomittee

Gambling News - July 17th, 2009 - Written by Glen

Back in early May, Representative Barney Frank introduced H.R. 2267 - a Bill that would overturn the UIGEA. Two months have passed, and some progress has been made, but that progress may have become stagnant.

According to the Library of Congress, there has not been a major action surrounding the Bill that would abolish the UIGEA in just over a months time. The significant movement the Bill saw was being redirected to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. The big worry is that this Bill get caught up in the bureaucracy.

Time is running out until the UIGEA must be enforced by banks, which is in December. As soon as December rolls around, the UIGEA becomes mandatory - up until then, it is still at the discretion of the banks. Recent account freezing and seizure of poker funds has made this Bill even more important, as the government continues to abscond with money that poker players rightfully earned.

There are 535 members of congress, and 42 of them are on board with Frank's Bill. With Frank included, this is roughly one twelfth of congress. The required number of votes for the Bill to pass must be at least two-thirds, meaning that at least 353 must go for the anti-UIGEA Bill to pass.Barney Frank is a weathered civil rights activist. Amongst his other Bills are laws to protect marriage, those who follow alternative life styles, and the decriminalization of marijuana.