Will There be Legal Online Gambling in the United States?

Its seems like those of us in favor of regulated online gambling are on pins and needles lately, much like in 2006 when things looked like and eventually did go the other way with the passing of the UIGEA. Every day there seems to be a little more information coming out as to the possibility of having some sort of legalized online gambling in the United States before Congress adjourns.

This week, casino industry’s top trade group, The American Gaming Association, said that it supports U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in his current efforts to legalize online poker. The group believes that Senator Reid’s bill has adequate consumer protection and proper oversights built in to it. According to the group’s chief executive, Frank Fahrenkopf , “Current online gambling laws do not provide these safeguards, leaving players and the system open to fraud, cheating and other illegal acts.”

What happens next? According to Politico’s Mike Allen who appeared Monday morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, “He’s really pressing his foot on the gas for this,” talking about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He also went on to say that being the Senate majority leader holds some clout and should not be underestimated. It was a former Majority Leader in Bill Frist who got the UIGEA added to a must pass bill in the first place.

According to a Washington Post article talking about the possible passing of Reid’s bill; “it could be added to an omnibus spending bill or other must-pass legislation in the coming days.” The Post also reported that Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, together gave $375,000 to Patriot Majority, that ran election ads in favor of Reid in the past election.

Author: GamesAndCasino