Hope for Revival of Online Poker Friendly HR 5767 - 07-15-08

July 15 - When the bill introduced by Barney Frank to bar top financial bodies in the United States from implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act failed on a 32-32 tie in the House Financial Services Committee recently, there were many eyebrows raised.

Frank's HR 5767, especially in its amended form, was considered a sure win, the only question being with how much of a margin it would win.

This week, Alfonse D'Amato of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) revealed that there had been a lot of "arm-twisting" going on behind the scenes, especially by Republican Alabama Representative Spencer Bachus. According to D'Amato, Bachus had "twisted the arms" of up to six members of the Financial Services Committee who had, prior to the vote, in fact indicated their willingness to vote in favor of the amendment.

In the interview, D'Amato revealed that the story is far from over when it comes to HR 5767. "There's a good chance we're going to reintroduce the measure before congress goes into recess," he said.

Congressman Robert Wexler, who was present with D'Amato for the interview, said that the 32-32 vote was actually an encouraging outcome, as it showed the strongest support for an online gambling measure to date. "It shows that awareness of the absurdity of the status quo has never been greater," said Wexler. "I'm confident, in the short term, we'll be able to do something. Declaring poker a skill game and getting a regulated environment are more long-term goals."

D'Amato expressed his frustration at the authorities' attitude toward poker, pointing out that this was a game that had been played in the top echelons of government, including the White House, Supreme Court and the Senate. "This isn't about special interest groups or lobbyists," he said. "This is about the right to play poker. It's a game of skill and the government should get off the backs of regular Americans and let them play wherever they want."