 Internet
Gambling Bill Shot
Down
The House Financial
Services Committee
rejected a bill
Wednesday that would
have prohibited the
Treasury Department
and the Federal
Reserve from
proposing and
implementing
regulations to
enforce the Unlawful
Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act.
Spearheaded by
Congressmen Frank
and Ron Paul, (H.R.
5767) would prohibit
the Department of
the Treasury and
Federal Reserve
System from
proposing,
prescribing or
implementing any
regulations related
to the current ban
on internet
gambling. Frank's
bill, however, must
be passed in the
House and the Senate
before the end of
this year. That may
seem like plenty of
time to the
uninformed but for
anyone inside
Washington, it's
common knowledge
that the
Congressional
calendar varies
greatly from
everyone else's. In
other words, six
remaining months
barely translate
into two remaining
Congressional
months.
H.R. 5767
essentially would
serve to prohibit
the Secretary of the
Treasury and Federal
Reserve System from
implementing any
regulations as they
relate to the
Unlawful Internet
Gaming Enforcement
Act, which deems
many forms of online
gambling illegal.
The defeat is a blow
to both the online
gambling industry,
which has been
looking for ways to
repeal the UIGEA,
and the banking
industry, which
wants no part in
trying to regulate
the online gaming
industry.
"The PPA is
surprised that the
Financial Services
Committee today
failed to clarify
what constitutes
'unlawful Internet
gambling' under the
Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement
Act (UIGEA),"
Alfonse D'Amato,
chairman of the
Poker Players
Alliance,
told Casino City
Wednesday. "The King
Amendment would have
required a separate
formal rulemaking
with an
administrative law
judge to determine
the definition of
unlawful Internet
gambling."
iMEGA.org -whose
efforts are backed
by a large
contingency of Costa
Rican online
gambling sites -
will continue to
challenge the UIGEA
in the Supreme
Court. This is
the only short term
chance of having the
Internet gambling
prohibition
overturned.
----
Christopher
Costigan,
Gambling911.com
Publisher
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
June 25, 2008 5:41
pm EST
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