Update: The hearing has been delayed.
Two bills that could affect online poker legislation in the United States are up for discussion in the House Committee on Financial Services this week. It was announced over the weekend that HR 2266 and HR 2267 are to be presented on Friday in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC at 10 pm. Both bills would have a dramatic affect on US accepted online casinos and poker rooms found offshore.
The Congressional committee will essentially examine the two pro-poker regulation bills in question.
As a recap, the two bills introduced by Chairman Barney Frank, are as follows:
HR 2266: The Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act will delay the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) which is set to kick in on June 1, 2010.
HR 2267: The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2009 will call for the regulation and legalization of online gambling and poker, and will nullify the controversial UIGEA.
While everyone in the industry is hopeful that HR 2267 will be adopted, putting an end to the UIGEA once and for all, it would still be seen as a victory if HR 2266 temporarily delays the implementation of the act in June. At the beginning of the year, pressure by the online poker and gambling industry drove Congress to delay the act’s implementation for a six month period.
The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative welcomed the news that the two bills would be discussed by the House Committee on Financial Services this coming Friday. The group’s spokesperson, Michael Waxman said in a statement: “This hearing will provide further evidence that UIGEA is a poorly-crafted law that simply does not work. A more common sense approach to protect Americans is required. We expect this hearing to provide further impetus for the House Financial Services Committee and Congress to address this issue and move forward Chairman Frank’s regulatory bill.”
