The US Elections and Online Gambling

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Of late there has been little news on the regulation and legalization of online gambling in the United States of America. The reason for this is that the political system is preoccupied with the mid-term elections coming up on November 2. The results of these elections hold the fate of the future of online gambling in America. If the Democrats win in significant numbers, then there is a likelihood that the various online gambling legislations in the pipe line will move ahead. If the Republicans hold sway then there is every chance that these bills will be put in cold storage.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has been in the forefront of the process of legalization of online gambling. Its political action committee, referred to as PokerPAC, tracks legislators on their inclination to support online gambling. It has released a list of those Congressional candidates participating in the mid-term elections who it considers will support online gambling.

Through a joint statement, PokerPAC chairmen former Senator Alfonse D'Amato and former Congressman Toby Moffett pointed out that the PPA has been successfully highlighting that advantages of establishing a safe and regulated market for online gambling and that more and more of Congressmen are showing a favorable response. They said, "This year's election is critical to ensuring that candidates are elected who support the rights of poker players and who choose to take action to protect American consumers. PokerPAC is proud to endorse these candidates who have been advocates for poker players and this great game we all love."

PokerPAC has come to its conclusions in a very systematic and transparent manner. Demonstrated support for online gambling has been based on favorable votes for the various bills in the House and Senate sub committees, co-sponsorship of bills, Congressional letters of support and public statements. The PokerPAC list contains 58 names. There are 44 Democrats and only 14 Republicans clearly indicating that the support is not bipartisan as often claimed. The most well known person in the list is however Republican Peter King from New York. Only two are non-incumbent Congressmen, whereas the rest are standing for re-election.

Online gambling advocates like PPA and iMEGA have lost certain key cases in the state Supreme Courts. It is evident that the only way ahead is through fresh legislation. Therefore the PokerPAC calls upon all players who want to see online gambling become a recognized, legal and regulated industry and urges them to vote for the candidates on its list. If there is adequate support in the House of Representatives, it will be easier for Barney Frank to schedule a discussion and vote on his bill HR 2267 that proposes a regulatory framework for online gambling. Now all eyes are on the November 2 election.

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