With Online Poker, Fairness Got Lost in the Shuffle

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R., Tenn.) caught online gamblers by surprise last year. He inserted an obscure provision -- the Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act (UIGEA) -- into the Safe Port Act that bans the transfer of funds from financial institutions to Internet gambling sites.

The UIGEA passed without a committee hearing in the Senate. This means that without a debate, we were stuck with poor public policy, and the federal government restricted our use of the Internet. New legislative initiatives offer a second chance at that debate in Congress.

Legislative Struggle

Four bills have been introduced into Congress to address online gambling, including the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046), Internet Gambling Study Bill (H.R. 2140), Internet Gambling Tax Act (H.R. 2607) and Skill Game Protection Act (H.R. 2610).

The most prominent is H.R. 2046. Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) introduced the bill in the spring as an attempt to undo the UIGEA, which passed haphazardly last year. Frank called the UIGEA "an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans."

The new legislation would create licenses for qualified operators already allowed to operate under state and Indian tribal law, while protecting against underage gambling, compulsive gambling, fraud and money-laundering. Rep. John Conyer (D., Mich.) plans to hold a hearing tomorrow in the House Judiciary Committee.