Barney Frank
Barney Frank’s online gambling bill has been scheduled for a “markup” by the House Committee on Financial Services. The bill, which could potentially legalise online casinos in the United States, will be debated, amended and discussed by the committee on Tuesday 27th July 2010. Current legislation in the United States dictates that online gambling is illegal, without providing a definition of what constitutes “unlawful internet gambling”. Frank’s bill proposes the introduction of a regulatory framework, which would generate revenue for the government.
Michael Waxman, a spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, has suggested that the decision to markup the bill indicates “that Congress is serious” about Frank’s proposal “and establishing a strict regulatory framework” for online gambling. The bill has been backed by various figures in the internet gambling industry, including poker star Annie Duke. In the bill hearing earlier this week, Duke suggested that the “at a basic level”, the committee must decide whether Americans have the right “to do what they want in the privacy of their homes without the intrusion of the government”. Duke urged the House Committee to consider legalising the online gambling industry – noting that it has thrived underground for quite some time.
