Small Developments for US Online Gambling

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In the last few weeks the online gaming community has received a spate of setbacks. Therefore the two favorable news items received over the weekend are more than welcome. There is nothing path breaking in these news items but they are small steps in the right direction.

The first item is that the two bills introduced by Representative Barney Frank in the House will come up for further legislative hearings in the House Committee on Financial Services on April 16. The HR 2266 seeks postponement of the implementation of the UIGEA rules by one year and the HR 2267 seeks to put in place a licensing and regulatory framework for online gambling. The focus at the hearing will be "governmental perspectives" according to official spokesmen. Another issue that is expected to be discussed is the difficulties indicated by the banks in implementing the UIGEA rules. A similar hearing had taken place in December 2009. A disappointing note is that there is no mark up scheduled. This probably means that there will have to be another House Committe hearing before the bills are sent to the House for a vote. Michael Waxman of the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative however sees a positive side. He said. "We expect this hearing to provide further impetus for the House Financial Services Committee and Congress to address this issue and move forward Chairman Frank's regulatory bill." The proceedings of the hearing can be seen live through a webcast on the official website of the House Financial Services Committee.

The other news item from over the weekend is a follow up on an earlier one. Earlier it was reported that the National Indian Gaming Association would move to block Barney Frank's bills from being passed. The National Indian Gaming Association is the apex body of the American Indian land based casinos. The resolution for blocking these bills was put forward by the Morongo Indians who are trying to get exclusive rights to Internet poker in California. The publication Indian Country Today said that the debate in the National Indian Gaming Association conference was divisive and ended with the decision to delay action on the Morongo resolution. During the conference a geographical divide in the outlook of the Indian tribes was apparent. The Californian tribes view the legalization of Internet gambling as a threat to their livelihood. The tribes in the southern and eastern United States regard online gambling as an opportunity to grow their gambling and hospitality markets. The tribes in the Midwest and Southwest feel that it is premature to take a stand on Internet wagering. The outcome of the conference came as a bitter disappointment for Morongo chairman Robert Martin. He thought he had enough support to see his resolution go through. However this outcome could mean less opposition for Barney Frank's bills when they reach the House.

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