Although you could
probably class it as pro-online gambling legislation, a
recent House Resolution in the U.S. Congress does not
necessarily call for regulating online gambling
activities in the U.S. What it does do, however, is
provide immunity to online casinos, poker rooms and
other betting sites (except for those taking sports
bets) from Department of Justice prosecution as deemed
by the enforcement protocols of the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act.
Called the UIGEA
Clarification Act, or more formerly as HR6663, the bill
has been submitted to the House Committee on the
Judiciary, and won't be discussed further until after
the Summer congressional recess. When members of
Congress return at the start of September, several
pieces of online gambling legislation, including
Congresswoman Shelley Berkely's Internet Gambling Study
Act will be on the table.
Not just anybody
would be exempt under the legislation. Only those online
gambling operations who ceased taking bets from U.S.
citizens after the passing of the UIGEA could
potentially walk away without further haggling by the
DOJ, such as the case was with Neteller - the leading
eProcessor of online gambling revenues on the Web. The
only difference is that Neteller continued processing
funds for U.S. bettors after the passing of the UIGEA,
and only ceased doing so when the DOJ arrested
Neteller's founders.
Big name companies
like Party Gaming and 888 online casino, who were most
certainly dealing with U.S. citizens prior to October
13, 2006, would be let off the hook in the form of
millions of dollars if HR6663 were to get passed into
law. While it can be argued these companies should pay
up anyways (as if they would be paying taxes and fees in
a regulated market anyways), the main issue with the
UIGEA seems to be in the area of sports betting. Most,
if not all of the prosecutions and high profile arrests
thus far taken by the DOJ have been sports related.
The UIGEA
Clarification Act is a temporary cover for companies who
are buying time and secretly hoping the UIGEA either
gets overturned of heavily made over. Considering how
slow progress has been thus far regarding the Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act, the Clarification Act may just
be the medicine needed to ease the paranoid
consciousness' of formerly U.S. facing online casinos.
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