Barney Frank to Introduce Pro-Poker Bill TomorrowU.S. Congressman Will Seek to Overturn the UIGEA |
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The Poker Players Alliance has confirmed that Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) will introduce a bill tomorrow that seeks to reverse the policies of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act at a 10 a.m. press conference.
The bill has been in the works for a long time. An aide for the Congressman told Reuters in February that the bill would be introduced the following month, but the introduction has been delayed several times. Tomorrow, however, Frank will finally put the bill on the table.
“What I want to do now is introduce a bill that will repeal [the UIGEA],” Frank told Card Player in an interview published in the most-recent issue of the magazine.
“Frankly, the federal government could use the money right now to pay for important public means,” said Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. “My view is that this shouldn’t be excessively taxed, not taxed out of existence, but like any other legitimate activity, it could be subject to a small percentage of taxation.”
The Congressman said that the financial considerations for the bill, while important, are not his major reason for introducing it.
“Why the hell is it any of my business if somebody wants to gamble on the Internet? It’s an invasion of personal freedom,” said Frank. “My main motivation is to take the government out of private lives.”
Frank introduced a similar bill in 2007 that never made it to the House floor for a vote. The Massachusetts Congressman says he is “mildly optimistic” that he has enough support now to get the bill through the House of Representatives, but acknowledges it’ll be a tough road to passage.
“It’s tougher to get anything through the Senate, but you begin where you begin,” said Frank.
As for where any potential revenue from online gaming would go toward, that conversation is still in its early stages on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, will likely announce a bill in the coming weeks concerning the financial aspects of online gaming regulation.
McDermott has introduced poker-related legislation in the past. Last year, he proposed using revenue from Internet gaming to assist in job training and opportunities for past foster care participants.
Rep. Shelley Berkley, a supporter of Frank’s bill, has expressed hesitancy in regards to McDermott’s bill. The Congresswoman said that she wants to keep taxation and regulation at the state level as much as possible.
Frank said that it would probably be at least September until his bill makes it the House floor for a vote. The Congressman and the PPA encourage all supporters of the bill to write their members of Congress.
“The best thing for the poker community to do now is to rally behind Congressman Frank and his bill,” said John Pappas, the executive director of the PPA. “You need to make sure you tell your congressman or congresswoman how important this bill is to you.”
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