Home / Poker News September 2008 / Frank’s newest anti-UIGEA initiative passes Committee vote
Frank’s newest anti-UIGEA initiative passes Committee vote
Posted by: James Carter. - Wed, 2008-09-17 05:01
In a rather outstanding development yesterday, Barney Frank’s HR 6870, the Payments System Protection Act has passed the House Financial Services Committee vote with 30 for and 19 votes against. Despite staunch opposition from Rep Spencer Bachus – the leader of an anti-gambling crusade in the committee, and objections from the representatives of American professional sports leagues, the bill will make it to the House floor to be further analyzed.
Even though he finally managed to push his bill through the committee, Frank was quoted as being disappointed with the reaction of the professional sports leagues. He said he didn’t expect them to object the initiative, because HR 6870’s language clearly protects their interests. Whether this means that there are other forces involved in the tussle which hail from beyond the sports leagues’ direct interests, remains to be seen.
What the Payments Systems Protection Act is after is to limit the UIGEA’s (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) reach to the activities already covered under the Wire Act of 1961, which is sports betting. The UIGEA’s language which failed to ever define what illegal gambling was, would this way be rounded up by the aforementioned Wire Act to clarify one of its most strident shortcomings. Activities like online poker and online casino gambling would this way be exempted from under the UIGEA’s restrictions.
HR 6870 also requires that the two institutions which will be responsible for the UIGEA’s implementation, namely the Federal Reserve and the U.S Treasury establish clear guidelines as to what will be considered legal under the federal law.
Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance welcomed the news about the committee vote, and reiterated the fact that the UIGEA’s code is indeed in dire need of clarification in regards to the definition of illegal gambling.
While all this may come as great news to most involved in the online poker and online gambling businesses, it is by no means the light at the end of the tunnel. Opposition to legalizing poker and online gambling is stark, and even though the anti-UIGEA lobby won’t concede defeat, pushing HR 6870 through will probably be extremely difficult at best.
