US Online Gaming Becoming More Likely to Legalize

May 12, 2009 - Written by Haley

The legalization of online gambling in the United States has been an ongoing argument for years, however it is one that may be over sooner then we thought according to the New York Times. Their report starts out by acknowledging that that UIGEA enacted in 2006 was bad for America's gambling industry. The report was essentially supported by the settlement that occured recently between PartyGaming and the Department of Justice for old offenses and the chance of future online gaming companies following.

The report came out a mere week before Barney Frank's proposed introduction of laws that will overturn the UIGEA, which was supposed to be introduced in March and then again folllowing Easter, neither of which happened. Fans of online gambling are crossing their fingers that there aren't going to be any more delays. Frank has brough forth two bills in that last year. One of them didn't get the committee vote and the other one, due to a lack of time, couldn't be voted on by the full House of Representatives. This time, however, Frank has hinted he plans to speed the bill along faster. The New York Times report says that supporters think they may get a chance at a nicer hearing in Washington this time. Partially due to President Obama's fondness during poker, and the fact that democrats, who have been less against online gamblin then republicans, now control Congress.

States have also expressed their desire to get revenue by taxing online gambling, one of those states being California. A draft of the laws dated January 15, 2009 has been acquired by IGamingNews and has been doing circulations around web forums, however there are parts of the draft that will not be welcomed or liked by the online gambling world. For example it says that gaming establishments licensed by the state of California and California tribes would be given licenses to conudct online poker, which implys that only the land based California casinos can start up online poker rooms. Also the last condition would be that only California residents would be the ones allowed to play, which would take away from the international cause of online gambling.

Despite this version of the draft, if these laws survives and is heard then at least something would have started to be in the works, some progress is beter then none.