Support is mounting for legalizing online gambling in the US. Recently, two Congressional hearings were held to discuss the future of online poker where the Congress was more inclined towards chalking out the best possible ways to regulate online poker in the US rather than discussing whether or not the game should be legalized.
Tribal Interests was the Focus of Indian Affairs Committee Hearing
The basic focus of the Indian Affairs Committee hearing was protecting tribal interests. Tribes should be given adequate importance and have equal opportunities to offer online poker products to American customers as the Nevada-based gambling platforms have.
Arguments for and against the Proposal to Legalize Online Poker
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing had John Campbell, Frank Wolf and Barney Frank in the panel. Frank Wolf, who is against regulating and legalizing online poker, stated that the game is highly addictive. According to him, legalizing poker will result in online gambling companies making huge profits as they facilitate problem gambling.
Barney Frank on the other hand, claimed that the best way to deal with problem gambling is to regulate online poker rather than prohibiting players from playing the game. Frank said that if online poker is legalized, regulated, licensed and taxed in the US, not only will customers benefit but, the country’s revenue will also increase. A large number of jobs will be created and players can participate in poker games without government interference if legalization of online poker becomes a reality.
Speakers of the Second Panel in Favor of Legalizing Online Poker
The second panel mostly consisted of supporters of online poker. The panel had American Gaming Association’s president, Frank Fahrenkopf, Nevada Gaming Control Board’s chairperson, Mark Lipparelli, New Hampshire Lottery Commission’s executive director, Charles McIntyre and Chicago University researcher, specialized in problem gambling, Rachel Volberg. All the panel members spoke in favor of regulating online poker.
Adequate Technologies Available for Protect the Interests of Players
Although the American Gambling Association (AGA) opposed online gambling legalization previously, it now supports the proposal to regulate the game. AGA said that efficient technology can be employed by poker sites to restrict problem gambling activities and protect players’ interests. The industry believes that it is safe to regulate online poker in the US. However, it will be risky if the current law remains unchanged as customers will then be exposed to unregulated offshore gambling sites.
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