Bill to suspend internet gambling ban introduced in U.S. Congress
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House of Representatives bill 5767, which would serve to lift the ban on online gambling and poker in the United States, was introduced in the United States Congress yesterday by Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas).
The new bill would basically prevent the Department of the Treasury from enforcing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.
According to a press release from the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative:
“The Frank-Paul bill would stop the U.S. government from taking any further steps on regulations that would require all of the country’s financial institutions to block Internet Gambling payments” said SSIGI spokesman Jeff Sandman. “It’s a bold move, but a necessary one, in light of the warnings from the Treasury and Federal Reserve that they did not know how to write regulations to solve the problems created by UIGEA. Further, witnesses representing a broad spectrum of the financial services community unanimously stated that the current ban on Internet gambling is dangerous to the payments system and ineffective in stopping people from using the Internet to play poker, make bets on horses, or engage in other types of wagering.”
The introduction of the bill follows House testimony last week, when leaders of the financial industry and members of the government pointed out many problems with implementing the UIGEA. Last year, Frank introduced H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which would regulate online gambling in the U.S.
More on this bill as it progresses through the legislative process.
