Treasury Regulations For Online Gambling Due By End of November
The Internet gambling world is asking why the Treasury Department of the United States government is pushing to enact regulations enforcing the UIGEA now, after two years of debate.
Online Casino Advisory has contacted an inside source with the Bush administration. From the administration point of view, he said, it is not a rush to suddenly and hastily promote rules, but a culmination of two years' work at defining illegal online gambling, and illegal payment procedures.
The insider said his office was not responsible for writing law, but for attempting to "faithfully execute the law" as written by Congress. This did seem to ignore that the UIGEA could not be enforced as written, due to the vague and confusing use of undefined terms. By defining those terms, the Executive Branch is ignoring previously established and existing definitions, which only the Congress can change.
The source continued by saying he expected the review by the Office of Management and Budget to be finished and the regulations to be published and therefore effective by the end of November. He did caution that that estimate may be off by a week or two, but probably not more than that.
While the insider insisted that the timing of the finalization of regulations against Internet casinos was purely coincidental with the end of the Bush administration, others thought it represented one last chance for radical Republicans to attempt to leave in place long-lasting public policy.
Certainly, rules already in effect are much harder to change than merely proposed rules. Meanwhile testimony before OMB officials continues by Treasury representatives, as well as animal racing leaders, members of the Interactive Gaming Council, and members of the Poker Players' Alliance. What is being said in those meetings will be available in the final, published report.
