The 100 000 strong Poker Players' Alliance is pretty smart at choosing
the right timeframes for its attacks on the proposed bans on Internet
gambling in the USA. This week it synchronized its latest blast to
precede a field hearing scheduled for Iowa by one of the bans proposers,
Rep. Jim Leach.
CNET News reported that on the eve of a congressional field hearing
in Iowa designed to ramp up support for federal legislation restricting
Internet gambling, the poker lobby renewed its assault on the approach.
Poker Players Alliance President Michael Bolcerek decried the proposed
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act , which passed the U.S.
House of Representatives in early July, as "short-sighted"
and said it would only breed "unregulated online 'speakeasys'"
that do nothing to curb the underage and problem gambling targeted
by the bill's sponsors.
"A more sensible approach is to license, regulate and tax
this game of skill here in the United States, much like we already
do with 'brick and mortar' casinos and card rooms," Bolcerek
said in a statement released by the group, which describes itself
as a grassroots organization representing 100,000 players and enthusiasts.
A PPA-commissioned study estimates that Uncle Sam could rake in at
least $3.3 billion a year from income taxes and fees tied to a regulated
online poker regime. 23 million Americans already play poker on the
Internet, according to the lobby group.
Various incarnations of Net gambling restrictions have been bouncing
around Congress for years amid international skepticism.
The House-approved bill would clarify that federal law prohibits processing
financial transactions related to "unlawful" online gambling
and would in some cases force Internet service providers to block
access to offshore gambling sites. Democrats, a large number of whom
voted against the measure, have criticized the approach as riddled
with loopholes because it exempts wagers on horse races and lotteries.
The field hearing - a favorite practice of politicians during lengthy
recesses away from the nation's capital - was scheduled to take place
Thursday afternoon in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the home state of Rep. Jim
Leach, a Republican congressman who co-sponsored the bill with Republican
Bob Goodlatte of Virginia. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who
has endorsed the bill and exercises much control over when it would
go before the Senate, is also on the planned attendance list.
It's unclear when the Senate will begin debating Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act, labeled part of the Republicans' election-year
"American Values" agenda, as it's just one of many proposals
potentially on the agenda before the politicians return to campaigning.
Congress is scheduled to return to Washington D.C. on Sept. 5 and
is expected to break again by early October.