Washington Poker Hearings
Friday, November 18th, 2011It’s been a very long, stuttering road towards legalized online poker in the United States. Ever since the UIGEA was passed in 2006, politicians and lobbyists have been working to get laws enacted, but none have proved successful. However, the winds are changing in Washington and another push for legal online poker is underway.
The House of Representatives has discussed online poker a number of times, with bigwig Barney Frank a consistent instigator of debate. By contrast, the Senate have not touched the issue since the original UIGEA was passed in 2006.
That’s all changed this week, with a hearing having been held to discuss the issue. November 17th played host to a discussion on the ‘Future of Internet Gaming: What’s at Stake for Tribes?’. As you might have guess from the title, it concerned the impact of online gambling on various Indian Tribes. It was designed to consider not only poker, but games like real money slots.
It’s almost traditional in the U.S. for Indians to run casinos and many are understandably concerned about the impact of online gambling on their lifestyles. The hearing was called to consider how the influx of offshore providers like the titan…