Barney Frank Holds Firm at WSOP on Passing Online Casino Bill
Barney Frank told poker players assembled for the World Series of Poker that he still believes his bill regulating online casinos will be passed by the end of the year. Frank, acting as a guest of honor, said delays in hearing the bill caused by recession legislation should not prevent it from being addressed this fall.
The poker players, many of whom learned the game and refined their skills playing at online poker rooms, applauded Frank as he asserted Internet gambling is a freedom that should be protected. Frank charged that the UIGEA law which set up the online gambling ban is "stupid," and promised to continue to lead the fight to repeal it.
Frank made reference to would-be moralists in Congress whose own personal lives have been exposed for lack of character, saying sarcastically they need to stop telling the rest of the country to meet the high standards they set.
Frank also noted the bills he has authored, seeking to regulate Internet gambling and repeal the UIGEA, will philosophically split two divergent groups of Republicans, the Christian conservatives who seek to dictate lifestyle to the rest of the country, and libertarians desiring smaller government and less intrusion into everyday life.
Frank said what individuals choose to do online is "none of the government's business," and urged that players write their Congressmen and Senators to support the bill, making sure their voices are heard.
