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The US Department of Justice decision not to apply online poker to The Wire Act had the Indian Tribes greeting the news with a shrug of the shoulders, claims Gail Courey Toensing of the Indian Country News.
Toensing referenced Indian gaming expert Joe Valandra.
Before moving ahead, states have to pass legislation to allow Internet gaming and that may present some barriers, Valandra said. “I don’t think (the Justice Department opinion) is a big deal for the tribes because there’s only one state that has enabling legislation and that’s Nevada. Other states have talked about it, but haven’t passed anything. It has to go through a whole legislative cycle before any state besides Nevada will be able to offer intra-state online poker.”Valandra said. A citizen of the Sicangu Lakota, Valandra is principal owner and president of VAdvisors, LLC, chairman and CEO of Tehan Woglake, Inc., and former chief of staff of the National Indian Gaming Commission. “It’s something I’m sure the tribes in general are looking at but I don’t think it has any particularly negative implication in and of itself.”
Another expert on the Tribal casinos told the Indian Country News that the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed in 2006, contains a paragraph that already ensures the Tribes can set up online gambling within their borders.
“No provision of this subchapter shall be construed as altering, limiting, or extending any Federal or State law or Tribal-State compact prohibiting, permitting, or regulating gambling within the United States.”
The fact that this is even a discussion today is enough to leave many in the online poker community optimistic, however.
Dannel P. Malloy, Governor of Connecticut, welcomed the Justice Department news. The state’s two Indian casinos, Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun, have seen shrinking revenues in recent years.
“Obviously, gaming is an important part of our economy. It appears that [online] interstate and intrastate gaming is going to be allowed,” Malloy told the Hartford Courant. “It appears that the only thing the Justice Department has ruled is off the table is sports betting, with the exception of horse betting. So with that one exclusion, everything is up for consideration by the states.”
More Gambling News Headlines for Monday January 2, 2012
Kentucky Governor Expects Gambling Legislation to be Added as Early as This Week – (Associated Press) - Lawmakers are scheduled to convene Tuesday for a legislative session chock-full of politically divisive issues, including a proposal to legalize casino-style gambling. Richard Beliles, head of the government watchdog group Common Cause of Kentucky, said he expects political fireworks lasting until the legislature adjourns in April. Beliles said redrawing legislative and congressional boundary lines will add to the tension, as will crafting a budget that almost certainly is going to require more cuts to government agencies and services. Gov. Steve Beshear said he expects a gambling proposal to be filed in the Senate within days of the start of the legislative session. Redistricting and budget proposals will be filed early, too.
Greece Casino Gambling Affected by Economic Crisis: Drops 20 Percent – Casino gambling in Greece has fallen by a whopping 20 percent in recent times. There is myth which states that in times of hardship more people will resort to gambling. However, in a country which is €350 billion in debt and where spare money is hard to find, Greeks have instead started cutting back on the amounts they are prepared to wager at the casino. Read More Here>>>
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
