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An important milestone was met Wednesday when HR 2267, legislation that looks to fully legalize online poker in the U.S., passed by markup in the House Subcommittee.
Specifically, HR 2267 amends title 31, United States Code, to provide for the licensing of Internet gambling activities by the Secretary of the Treasury, to provide for consumer protections on the Internet, to enforce the tax code, and for other purposes.
Next stop: The House, where HR 2267 author Barney Frank has some degree of sway. But there is one slight obstacle.
House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi is not a fan of the legislation and will tend to lean more towards the GOP mindset that online gambling is bad on “moral grounds”. She herself is no fan of legalized gambling in any form, according to Gambling911.com sources familiar with Ms. Pelosi.
“Pelosi knows that her own majority still depends on members elected from relatively conservative rural and suburban districts. Of the 254 House Democrats – it takes 218 to form a majority – 49 come from districts John McCain carried last year, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis. Pelosi wants to protect those 40.” (“The Real Pelosi,” EJ Dionne, Washington Post April 9, 2009).
But with the tide turning and a few more Republicans backing the bill, Pelosi could be influenced, especially with Frank being ever so "persuasive".
For now, Senate passage of HR 2267 remains a long shot.
Alejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com
