Republican Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Peter King, R-N.Y. unveiled legislation Wednesday that would enable Americans to legally gamble online.
If running major financial institutions and the auto industry isn't enough for the new Obama administration, a new House bill - the Internet Gambling Regulation Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act which would put the Treasury Department in charge of Internet gambling.
Republican Barney Frank, (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Peter King, R-N.Y., unveiled legislation on Wednesday that would enable Americans to legally gamble online. "The government should not interfere with people's liberty unless there is a good reason," Frank said. "This is, I believe, the single biggest example of an intrusion into the principle that people should be free to do things on the Internet. It's clearly the case that gambling is an activity that can be done offline but not online."
But the legislation grants the Treasury Department far-reaching power over online gambling. The bill would allow the Treasury secretary to license and revoke licenses of Internet gambling Web sites under the guise of protection Americans' personal freedoms to gamble and consumer protection concerns.
The bill would also allow the Treasury secretary to "assess" license holders for the costs of background checks and investigations of Web sites applying for the license. And the bill provides for mechanisms for state and local taxes to be collected and re-distributed.
The current UIGEA prohibits credit card companies and banks from processing bets placed on online gambling Web sites. The legislation will repeal language passed in 2006 and signed into law by President Bush that made it illegal for banks and credit card companies to process bets made on the Internet.
Among the safeguards in the bill is that any Internet gambling operator would be required to: ensure an individual placing a bet is of legal age (as defined by the law in the state or tribal area) and physically located in that jurisdiction, combats compulsive Internet gambling and money laundering, and protects privacy.
Frank added that he feels this will lift the burden off banks, which are compelled under the current legislation to regulate gambling activity.
The Poker Players Alliance, chaired by former New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, supports the bill. D'Amato said Wednesday in a press release that he is "grateful for Chairman Frank's leadership and will be activating our grassroots army made up of over one million members to help him drive legislation."
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