A good
article appeared today at American.com about the current online poker atmosphere in Washington. The photo has nothing to do with the article, but we really, really like her.
Today, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing to “examine whether Internet gambling can be regulated to protect consumers and the payments system,” according to Reuters.The hearing stems from a bill Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced in April which, according to Wired.com, “would re-legalize online poker and gambling and regulate the industry, requiring that all gaming sites build technological safeguards to prevent underage and compulsive gambling, crack down on cheating and protect user privacy.”
“The fundamental issue here is a matter of individual freedom,” Frank said at a news conference introducing the bill.
The legality of online poker has historically been vague. Most of the government’s efforts have focused on sports betting. A month before the ban was passed, David Carruthers, CEO of BetonSports, was arrested on charges of violating the wire act. On the other hand, a 2002 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit declared that non-sports betting doesn’t fall under the Federal Wire Act.
