By Eric Rosenberg

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank and his bill to legalize online poker are back in the news.

The bill, introduced by Frank last April, seeks to reverse last year's Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and set up a framework to legalize, license, regulate, and tax Internet gambling.

Frank was quoted by today's San Francisco Chronicle as saying, "I want to get it undone. If an adult in this country, with his or her own money, wants to engage in an activity that harms no one, how dare we prohibit it? Adults are entitled to do with their own money what they want."

If you are wondering what Vegas thinks of the possibility of online gambling, wonder no more. The article spoker to some of the Vegas big boys...

"We would do so as quickly as we could," said MGM Mirage Senior Vice President Alan Feldman. "We would have it up and running within a year. And I have to believe that just about everyone will get involved at some level. All the major players." He believes that the appeal of easy money would even expand outside of the Las Vegas gambling scene. "All the major entertainment companies will get involved, too. Sony, Apple, Universal, Columbia, Time Warner. It just seems logical that at some point they would find their way into the industry," Felman said.

As Frank's bill gains momentum in Washington, the usuall oponents are speaking out.

"Online poker is currently the most addictive form of gambling activity among American youth," said Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, who has defended an online gambling ban for years. "There is an attempt by Congressman Barney Frank to remove the online gambling enforcement mechanisms provided by [the current law]. I oppose efforts to remove tools that our state and federal authorities have long sought."

Frank's bill went before the House Financial Services Committee last month. The hearings focussed on the effectiveness that new technology would have in preventing underage gambling, problem gambling, and money laundering. Frank gave no indication of when he expects the full House of Representatives, or Senate, to vote on the bill.