Rep. Joe Barton who submitted two bills to the Congress regarding legalizing online poker, is hopeful that some form legislation will be brought about this term. The bill introduced by Barton is referred to as Joe Barton’s HR2366 or Barton’s bill. It proposed to regulate internet poker through government-run agencies.
Rep. Joe Barton not Keen on Taking the Entire Credit for the Bill
Rep. Joe Barton has been a poker player for several years. However, he preferred to remain on the sidelines. Rep. Barney Frank led the initiatives to regulate online poker in the US. However, the scenario changed significantly with the Republicans coming to power.
Barton was approached by stake holders like Poker Players’ Alliance to formulate a bill to legalize online poker in the US. According to Barton, the bill introduced by him just takes several bills introduced in the past by John Campbell and Barney Frank, a step further. Barton refused to take full credit for the bill stating that his work is a development of what others had already done.
Personal Experiences Led Barton to Realize that Poker is a Game of Skill
Barton started playing poker as a child in the Boy Scouts. He could not make many wins in the game in the beginning, which is common for most players new to the world of poker. Barton was highly embarrassed due to the series of losses he faced.
He then learnt the game from his father who played poker during World War II as a serviceman. After leaning the game, Barton realized that poker is not based on chance. Only skilled gamers can excel in poker. Barton had been the chief advocate of legalizing online poker in 2 House Subcommittee Hearings this year.
American Players don’t have High Hopes of Online Poker being Legalized
Three reputed online poker rooms were pushed out of the US economy in the middle of 2011. The incident shook the online gambling market in the US and is referred to as Black Friday. Due to the shocking incident, American players do not have high hopes of online poker being legalized in the country.
However, Barton is confident that internet poker will be made legal at some point this term, as several lobbying groups and the poker community are trying hard to get their voices heard through email campaigns and Facebook and Twitter posts.
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- Online poker legislation hopes alive after Barney Frank cruises to election victory
- Iowa Pushes Online Poker Bill One Step Further
- Legalization of Online Poker Gains Support in the US
- American Gaming Association Issues Statement on Online Poker
