With the 2010 mid-term elections in the books many people who play poker are left wondering where online poker now fits into the legislative agenda. Fortunately one website has provided some of these answers; MyPokerBasics.com has taken the time to dissect the impact the mid-terms will have on online poker legislation, as well as how the major players in Congress fared on Tuesday.
Some major players that the MyPokerBasics article lists are Barney Frank (D-MA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA).
Frank was the creator of HR 2267, the bill that has been gaining traction in Congress and looks to repeal UIGEA legislation, and would legalize and regulate most forms of online gambling –including online poker. Frank’s win in the mid-terms was easier than originally anticipated as the now 15-term congressman cruised to an 11 point victory.
McDermott created the companion bill for HR 2267, which would set the tax code for online gaming providers. McDermott will likely continue to be a key player in the online poker fight, especially considering his state is the first to openly ban online poker.
Goodlatte was the man who penned the UIGEA law that was passed in 2006 as a companion piece to the Safe Ports Act, and Goodlatte remains a staunch opponent of online gaming to this day.
While the makeup of the US Congress will be vastly different, MyPokerBasics states that PPA director John Pappas remains optimistic about the chances of online poker legislation being brought up either in the upcoming lame-duck session –from now until the new Congress is sworn-in, in early January—or in next year’s session of Congress.
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