US House Approves a Measure of Online Gambling
In more great news about the further legalization of online poker, a U.S. House of Representatives panel voted on Wednesday to approve a measure that would seek to regulate many forms of online gambling, in an effort to overturn an existing law that bans the increasingly popular Internet-based online poker gambling, according to the Wall Street Journal. Lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee voted 41-22 to approve the legislation, meaning it could be brought to the floor by House Democratic leadership. Democratic aides said the most likely path forward for the legislation would be its addition to a larger, must-pass bill later in the year, rather than bringing it to the House floor as a stand-alone measure. The bill aims to bring many of the online gaming websites onto U.S. soil and regulate them, rather than banning them outright. The main thrust of the legislation is aimed at legalizing online poker, which is rapidly growing, but other forms of gambling including bingo would also be allowed. Placing bets online at Everest Poker on professional sports leagues such as the National Football League and Major League Baseball still wouldn’t be allowed under the bill. Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.), chairman of the House panel, has championed the cause of legalizing online gambling. Frank has argued that while he’s not a personal fan of gambling, he doesn’t believe it’s the role of the government to prevent adults from engaging in it.
