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UIGEA Drama Continues The American government is trying once again to fit a square peg in a round hole, with its most recent addendum to the highly unsuccessful and widely controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). After years of criticism from online poker players and casinos alike, Texas Republican Senator Pete Sessions has drafted an allegedly less vague version of the misunderstood legislation. The title of the new release is H.R. 6663, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Clarification and Implementation Act (UIGECIA), and it is meant to establish some ground rules. Too bad this piece of reference has only come after 2 years. During these two years, online poker and gambling websites, even those who had followed the rules by leaving the American market, have still been subject to reprieve and prosecution for their activities before the rule was even in effect! Now with the new UIGECIA, these companies, like Party Gaming and 888 Casino, can rest assured that they are not in any trouble. However, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), an American watchdog organization that fights for poker players’ rights and is fighting for the legalization of online casinos, is very unhappy with the language that the new legislation uses. By saying that online poker should not be punished, it implies that current online poker players, who play legally within US borders, have been participating in illegal activity. The following is a quote from a letter from Mr. D'Amato regarding the new bill. "...While we agree with several findings in the bill that correctly identify the illegality of sports wagering, the PPA remains concerned with the implication H.R. 6663 asserts in that the [UIGEA] has made Internet poker an unlawful activity that needs special protection from prosecution.” -PPA Chairman D’Amato on Introduction of H.R. 6663, August 1, 2008 One good thing about the bill is that it further defines the terms of online sports betting, but poker players as of right now are still not entirely satisfied. They do approve of the effort that has been put forth by Senator Sessions but definitely acknowledge the need for more. But at least for now, the relationship between Mr. Sessions and Mr. D’Amato, who happens to be a former senator from the state of New York, is just fine.
Back to August 2008 Archive. |
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