US Poker Legislation Moving Forward In Congress

The online gambling bill currently working its way through the United States Congress has managed to pass its first test, as the House Energy and Commerce Manufacturing subpanel has signaled that it will move forward with the legislation.

The subcommittee held hearings on Tuesday, during which both lawmakers and major figures in the gambling industry weighed in on the issue of online poker. While not everyone agreed on the specifics of the legislation, The Hill reported that there was a broad consensus on the idea that it was time to allow online poker to exist as a regulated industry.

Several arguments in favor of online poker legislation were presented during the hearings. Representative Mary Bono Mack (R-California) pointed out that gambling is ubiquitous across the United States, with every state except for Hawaii and Utah featuring at least some form of legalized gambling.

In addition, it was pointed out that Americans currently spend as much as $6 billion each year playing at offshore gambling sites that illegally operate inside the United States. By keeping that money on sites that are regulated by the US government instead, the USA could generate significant tax revenues that may help to close the country’s budget deficit.

Other legislators also pointed out that poker is an American game, and that the game was widely played even among politicians themselves. Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), who introduced online poker legislation this summer, noted that he learned to play poker in the Boy Scouts, and that both President Nixon and President Obama were known to be excellent poker players. Ranking committee member G.K. Butterfield (D-North Carolina) pointed out that games like poker were “as ubiquitous in the U.S. as baseball and football.”

One of the most promising aspects of the bill is the fact that it enjoys wide support on all parts of the political spectrum. While some have raised concerns about problem gambling, it’s likely that the final bill would include funds to deal with gambling addiction, as well as age verification systems to prevent children from participating on the sites.