New pro-poker legislation seeks to legalize online games of skill

July 3, 10:35 AMOnline Poker ExaminerSteven Ruddock

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Online Poker Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 

The push for the legalization of online poker continues to gain ground in Congress. This week Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced bill S 3616, the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act. The legislation's main focus is to regulate the world of online skill games, at the forefront of which is online poker.

Menendez's bill makes a clear distinction between games of chance and games of skill: “...that uses simulated cards, dice, or tiles in which success is predominantly determined by the skill of the players, including poker, bridge, and mah jong.”

If Menendez's bill is passed into law it would make it: "unlawful for a person to operate an Internet skill game facility in interstate or foreign commerce without a license issued to such person."

S 3616 lays out the necessary requirements to obtain a license; including full disclosure from the applicant, as well as background checks. These regulations would make the online world similar to the regulations imposed on land-based card-rooms.

Read more of Steve’s articles at RUFFPOKER.COM & RAKEBACKFTW.COM