Odds of HR 2267 Passing in 2010 Not Good

November 12, 2010 | News Category: Gaming Law

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After the mid-term elections in the United States, the passage of the online gambling bill that Barney Frank authored, HR 2267, is not looking like it is going anywhere anytime soon.

Although there is no official response as to whether the bill will continue working its way through the system, Congressman John Campbell does not hold out much hope that it will be dealt with any time soon. Congressman Campbell is one of the 69 co-sponsors of the Barney Frank online gambling bill.

The Republican, Congressman Campbell, is a member of the House of Representatives. He was a speaker at a fundraiser in Las Vegas this past weekend, when he told the Poker News Daily representatives what he thought about HR 2267.

"There's a little bit more of Congress left this year in November and December called the lame duck session. There is an outside chance of something happening for poker only passing in the lame duck session," he said.

Congressman Campbell continued: "But the odds are not real good on that right now. So, if we go into next year, we will have a different makeup in Congress and a different Chairman of that committee."

The Republicans once again hold the House majority, and there are those that feel that this will not help the online gambling bill to move forward, however, Campbell seems optimistic that the bill has a good chance of succeeding with the 2011 Congress, if it does not advance more in the next couple of months, before the end of 2010.

There is a possibility that Spencer Bachus, who will do whatever he can to prevent online gambling from being legalized, may become the new Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. This committee has recently been chaired by Barney Frank, who holds the opposite opinions to Bachus, as far as online gambling is concerned.

Congressman Campbell said: "I think we have a real opportunity on this next year. There will be almost a hundred new members of Congress, so it'll be a hundred people who can have a fresh look at this."

Congressman Campbell has been an active supporter of the online gambling bill, and he also made the proposals for key amendments that were adopted at the stage of mark up. He had suggested that the legal gambling age be 21, and that all sites at which US players can legally place their wagers should be located in the United States, and not offshore. He also said that loss limits should be imposed on online gamblers, and that the odds of winning the games should be clearly posted. After mark up, the bill passed on a 41:22 vote.