Internet Gambling: UIGEA Reversal Not Likely 

In a report filed by Jeff Simpson of the Las Vegas Sun, American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf is quoted as saying that any pro-internet gambling legislation on Capital Hill does "not have a chance in hell".

That is putting things bluntly for sure.

Simpson writes:

"The poker players, online poker rooms and poker publishers hope that the recent changes in congressional leadership will prompt legislators to reverse the impact of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which caused the leading online poker room to stop taking action from Americans and made funding and withdrawing money from online poker accounts more cumbersome.

"A law that defined poker as a game of skill would exempt online poker from the UIGEA."

Instead, Fahrenkopf sees the potential for state regulation, and even then state taxes won't be enough to compete with the offshore gambling havens that exist today.

Still, it would likely attract bigger name operators and probably encourage European and publicly traded firms to enter back into the US market.

---

Gambling911.com News Wire

Originally published February 11, 2007 9:56 pm ET