Joe Barton Introduces USA Online Poker Bill

Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas) introduced his online poker bill to the US House of Representatives on Friday, beginning a process that could very well end with the licensing and regulation on online poker in the United States.

The regulation of online poker in the USA has been a hot button issue for years. However, discussion finally picked up in earnest after the April indictments of several figures at major online poker sites and payment processors, along with the shutdown of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker in America. These events – which became known as Black Friday in the poker community – were a severe blow to the online poker industry, as well as professional players.

But they also provided a gleam of hope for players. It was suggested that this might be a way of cleaning out the current online poker landscape in the USA so that a licensing system could be put into place without having to compete against established offshore sites. Within weeks, rumblings of sessions to develop an acceptable bill were heard, and now the results of those efforts are being realized.

Barton had several co-sponsors for his bill – known as the Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011 – showing the bi-partisan nature of the effort. Other sponsors included Shelley Berkley (D-Nevada), John Campbell (R-California), Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), John Conyers (D-Michigan), Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), Michael Grimm (R-New York), Mike Honda (D-California), Peter King (R-New York), Ron Paul (R-Texas), Ed Perlmutter (D-Colorado) and Linda Sanchez (D-California).

Over the years, the opposition to online poker regulation has stated several legitimate concerns – concerns that the writers of this bill have attempted to address. To answer those who worry about gambling debt and problem gambling, the bill was written to disallow deposits made by credit cards, limiting the opportunity for players to create debt by playing. Since it’s likely that not all parts of the country would be in agreement on wanting online gambling in their state, individual states would have the right to opt-out of the program.

"We want to have an iron-clad system to make sure that those who play for money are playing in an honest, fair system where they can reap the benefits of their winnings,” Barton said.

While some advocates have shown mild disapproval for the aspects of the bill that ban credit card payments, the overall reaction has been positive from the Poker Players Alliance and other online gambling lobbying groups.