Will US Online Casino Laws Change Soon?

February 09, 2009 | News Category: Gaming Law

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United States Congressman, Barney Frank (Democrat - Massachusetts,) was recently interviewed by the Financial Times of London. In the interview, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was discussed. The UIGEA was passed by Republicans in 2006. Congressman Frank has held his office as Chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee since 1981.

Congressman Barney Frank discussed the problem regarding the regulations introduced to prevent Internet gambling that the Bush administration worked so hard to push through in their last few weeks in power. Congressman Frank noted that with the United States citizens "demanding the right to gamble online," that it is likely that these laws may soon be reversed.

Frank has plans to reintroduce a bill "within weeks." Should the new bill pass, it would change or remove the UIGEA's ban regarding credit card processing. At this time, it is illegal for credit card companies to do the processing of any transactions connected to the process of placing online bets in the US. As is much desired by the Internet gambling community, Frank's plans for the bill also create a licensing and regulatory framework specially suited to online gambling operators.

Up until now, credit card companies in the United States have fought, and delayed the implementation of the UIGEA whenever they possibly could have.

While this news is of great importance to many individuals in the US, should the change in United States policy come about, the positive effects could be as far-reaching as the European Union.

There has been a lot of pressure from the European Union stating that the United States have violated their commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the liberalization of gambling. In Europe, the European Commission have been working hard in order to open up gambling markets. Germany and the Scandinavian countries, are still opposed to growth for online gambling, however, the rest of Europe are fully supportive of this industry's growth.

Many feel that in our changing times, that if Congressman Barney Frank's bill will be a success, it will be the one thing that will mark the point in time when Internet gambling moves up to the next level of respectability that it is waiting for.

While the bill may be introduced "within weeks," it should be kept in mind that the legal process to undo and change laws will take some time. The sooner the bill is introduced, the better it is for the online gambling world, as the process to undo the damage done by the UIGEA ban needs to begin somewhere!