Regulating Online Gambling 2009: Starting Point

Good article in Congressional Quarterly about Barney Frank\’s online gambling regulatory framework bill and Rep. Jim McDermott\’s (D-WA) HR 2268, which sets up associated tax collection measures.

TRIVIA: Does anyone know the bill number for the UIGEA? Free satanic spade swag-shirt for the first correct commentor.

The article points out what a significant move it is by Harrah\’s to be so publicly behind these legislative measures, and the relevance of Rep. Shelley Berkeley\’s (D-NV) full-on support. (She previously supported only studying the issue.) Overall, the non-partisan piece is far more optimistic than most of us poker-biz \”professionals\” … but even CQ knows they\’re just guessing. What it does, however, is establish the baseline, from where Congressional dialogue on online gambling will be starting. (So we\’ll have to deal a lot with addiction and protection-of-minor issues, but not so much with 1/3 of them attempting suicide the first time they suffer a bad beat.)