Barney Frank on online gaming regulation: “I don’t think there’s support for it yet”
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Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass, told the Las Vegas Review Journal that his push for legislation to overturn the UIGEA has slowed in terms of momentum, but still remains a viable legislative possibility.
The last formal action on the bill was a committee hearing in June.
Frank’s comments to the LVRJ suggested a political stall that will require external pressure to break.
“It’s not dead. It’s not very active,” Frank said. “It depends on whether or not there’s support. I don’t think there’s support for it yet. It’s growing.”
Frank said it is up to gamblers to push efforts to overturn the ban, but then quickly corrected himself.
“I take it back. If the EU (European Union) gets into this WTO (World Trade Organization) thing, that’s a lot more pressure,” he said.
Frank was referring to the ongoing dispute in front of the World Trade Organization between Antigua and the United States. The EU has the right to require compensation from the US as a result of the WTO ruling in favor of Antigua that determined US restriction regarding online gaming to be a protectionist policy in violation of WTO member agreements.
Frank’s bill is among a handful of pending measures regarding online gaming currently sitting before Congress.
