If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. A democratic lawmaker is back at it again in attempts to remove the ban on internet gambling, a legislation that was put into effect when Republicans dominated congress.
Introduced this month, the legislation by Massachusetts representative Barney Frank would give the Treasury Department the power to license and regulate online gambling organizations that serve customers in the United States. Under the current law, which was approved by Congress in September of 2006, financial institutions are prohibited from handling momentary transactions made to and from online gambling sites.
Making announcement of the legislation at a news conference, Mr. Frank cited that the federal government could collect more tax revenues if online gambling was regulated. However, he also said that it should be legalized as a matter of personal preference, basically stating that the government should butt out of such affairs. Franks’s bill currently has about two dozen co-sponsors, most which are Democrats. He decided not to seek the backing of the Obama administration nor leadership in the House or Senate. The proposed bill does have the backing of several poker lovers. For instance, the Poker Players Alliance and its group of more than one million strong are lobbying for the legislation to pass. Surprisingly, former Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, a Republican of New York and well known chairman is also looking to support Frank’s case on Capital Hill.
The voice of the opponent is strong and they are mobilizing to have the bill defeated. This group of protesters includes social conservatives as well as professional and amateur sports organizations. These parties fear that increased gambling competition could pose a threat to the integrity of their competition. Representative Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican and highly touted member on the House Financial Services Committee, speaks quite negatively about the legislation. In a recent statement, he took things to another level by stating that the legalization of online gambling would present a danger to the youth and subject them to forming addictions at any early age.
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The new legislation somewhat differs from the bill Frank introduced in 2007, one that never even made it out of committee. This particular bill prevents American gamblers from betting on sporting events, while the earlier version proposed to allow the sports organizations to decide whether or not they wanted to permit internet betting on their games. Similar to the previous bill, this version would allow Indian tribal lands and states to opt out if they don’t want their citizens gambling on licensed websites. It also requires organizations seeking licensing to implement safeguards to prevent minors from accessing online gambling sites and also fighting compulsive gambling.
While Frank makes a lot of sense and has his fair share of supporters, his biggest roadblock could be Harry Reid, Senate majority leader and Democrat of Nevada. Opposed to lifting the ban in the past, Reid’s spokesman, Jim Manley says the gaming is very important in the city of Nevada, citing that the legalizing online gambling would be a major threat its existing revenues.
