Texas Congressman Joe Barton has opted to introduce a new online gaming bill in his latest attempt to legalise internet gambling at federal level.
The Internet Poker Freedom Act (2015) would establish a programme for the licensing of internet poker by US states as well as federally recognised Indian tribes.
The legislation covers the entire online poker spectrum, including how the bill would be implemented, licensed, regulated, monitored and enforced.
“Poker is an all-American game; it’s a game that I learned as a teen and continue to play today,” Barton said in a statement.
The new bill comes after Barton attempted to introduce similar legislation in 2013, but to no avail.
John Pappas, president of the Poker Players Alliance, has backed the new bill, stating that it would help create a “more robust” market in the US.
Pappas added: “Congressman Barton’s bill is common sense public policy that would allow qualifying states to pool players together to create a more robust market that will drive consumer satisfaction as well as increase state revenues.”
Despite this support, the bill does have its critics, with those opposed to online gaming stating that legalisation would give criminals access to money-laundering tools as well as pose the risk of underage and problem gambling.
However, Barton has responded by stating that legalised online gaming would do the opposite, because if the government opts to not regulate internet gambling, then more illegal sites will pop up across the US due to the demand for this form of gaming.
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
