Victory to Legalize Poker
An important victory in the battle to legalize online poker in the United states took place last week. A House of Representatives committee in late July approved legislation that would legalize some Internet poker gambling, allowing U.S. residents to place online wagers with companies the Treasury Department has licensed. Let’s hope this small victory is just the beginning of legalized online poker everywhere. According to Bloomberg News, Let’s hope this small victory is just the beginning of legalized online poker everywhere. The measure, sponsored by Representative Barney Frank chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would roll back a law designed to block such betting. That four-year-old law, which took effect in June, bars banks from processing payments to offshore gambling websites. Frank and other proponents, such as the Poker Players Alliance and Everest Poker say licensing and regulating online gambling will protect consumers who are placing a growing number of bets with offshore operators. A separate measure that depends on full House passage of Frank’s plan would impose taxes on online poker and other Internet gambling, bringing the federal government as much as $42 billion over 10 years, according to a congressional analysis. Let’s hope this small victory is just the beginning of legalized online poker everywhere.