Things just might be looking up for American Poker fans and poker operators the world over as it now appears that Representative Barney Frank (D - Mass) is spearheading an initiative that has presently delayed legislation that would toughen online gaming laws in the United States that deal with what they delightfully refer to as “unlawful internet gambling.”
The implementation date for the bill had been December 1st, but it has now been pushed back until June 1, 2010. The actual restriction against “unlawful internet gambling” is actually targeted exclusively at payment processors and providers and Frank was able to impose the delay by pointing out the fact that nobody really knew what “unlawful internet gambling” was referring to
Several major banks have indicated that they cannot enforce the law without any specific notation or guidelines of what to do or specific practices to follow. Many banks argued that it would be irresponsible for them to prosecute operators and players with such vague jurisprudence.
Frank declared to the media that he views Online Poker, Sports and Casino operations as one of the answers to America’s economic doldrums and double-digit unemployment figures. He stated that the 6 month ban “will give us a chance to undo this ill-advised law.”
There has been no rebuttal from Jon Kyl, one of the principle foes of online gaming in the US Congress.
Should the US begin regulating European-based online poker networks, it would add billions of dollars in annual revenue and increase the online player base by millions.
