CyberSecurity Bill Passes in House: No Tack-on for Internet Poker

A controversial CyberSecurity bill has passed in the House despite a veto threat from the Obama administration.  The bill does not contain any amendment pertaining to the legalization of Internet poker.

The Poker Players Alliance had hoped to attach legislation legalizing Web poker onto this bill.

“As much as this is a bill about getting people the right to play online,” PPA Director John Pappas this week. “It’s also  about giving law enforcement clear direction on how to enforce the law.”

Pappas also stated that the PPA would try to “tack this bill onto anything that is moving”.

The new cybersecurity legislation passed by a vote of 248 to 168 late Thursday in the House of Representatives.  It gives Internet service providers (ISPs) to share information back and forth with US government agencies in order to identify and defeat cyberattacks.

Those opposed to the bill claim individual privacy rights will not be adequately protected.  President Obama ranks among those with similar concerns.

The bill now heads into a conference committee then will be combined with a similar Senate measure, which is expected to be voted on by the end of May. A final bill is likely by this summer.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com