Congress to hold second hearing into online gambling
Category: Fresh Casino News Published on Friday, 18 November 2011 15:32 Written by Vidor Hits: 60
Later today, the US House of Representatives will hold a second hearing in as many months into the possibility of regulating online gambling via its Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.
The 23-member subcommittee is part of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and its first hearing into online gambling took place on October 25 and discussed the proposed HR 2366 legislation from Congressman Joe Barton.
Today’s hearing will hear testimony from fellow Representatives and legalised online gambling proponents Barney Frank and John Campbell alongside Virginia Republican Frank Wolf and Mark Lipparelli, Chairman for the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Frank Fahrenkopf, President for the American Gaming Association, Charles McIntyre, Executive Director for the New Hampshire Lottery Commission and Rachel Volberg, Senior Research Scientist for the University of Chicago, will also be taking part in discussions expected to concentrate on regulating Internet gaming in the United States.
Yesterday saw the Senate Indian Affairs Committee hold a similar hearing featuring testimony from former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) political advocacy group, and tribal representatives.
“With three congressional hearings on Internet gambling in a matter of weeks, it's clear that this issue is heating up and momentum is building for Congress to act,” said Michael Waxman from the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.
“Regulation presents the only opportunity to protect consumers and capture the jobs and economic benefits that are currently lost to offshore gambling operators. The recent indictments of offshore online poker operators clearly demonstrate that the US government's attempt to prohibit Internet gambling is a failure and a mistake. Americans who continue to gamble online are vulnerable to exploitation, have no guaranteed safeguards over their funds and are left without readily available legal recourse.
“We are hopeful that increased attention from these hearings will pressure Congress to act quickly on this issue.”