Online Casinos Await Action By New, Friendlier Congress
The United States election is over, and the Democratic Party has made big gains in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Now it is time for the Democrats to live up to the promises implied to the online casino community.Representative Barney Frank had assrred reporters that, once a more amenable Congress was sat, the legalization and regulation of Internet gambling would be almost a sure thing. Only the arm-twisting of Spencer Bachus stalled the process in the last Congressional session, and with Republican numbers and power in decline, Bachus seems unlikely to slow any legislation.
Like Frank, Washington Representative Jim McDermott has also authored legislation leading to the repeal of the UIGEA and the taxation of online casinos. Shelley Berkley, Ron Paul, and Robert Wexler all are Congressmen that were reelected and have proposed bills directed at legalizing online poker and Internet gambling.
Now, with almost complete control of both Houses and the Presidency, voters will expect movement on the online gambling front. While issues concerning the troubled economy and the war in Iraq may take precedence, the gaming industry should not have to wait long before a new national policy is in place.
A move toward national legalization and regulation would end the disputes with Antigua and the European Union, remove the hazy and problematic restraints of the UIGEA, restore personal freedoms, and put even more pressure on Steve Beshear to end his absurd campaign in Kentucky.
