Online Casino

What was first perceived as a long and arduous road towards the legalisation of internet gambling in the United States just got considerably easier for Barney Frank. Four additional co-sponsors have just signed on to publicly pledge their support for his bill that aims to overturn the 2006 UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) which effectively made the practice illegal in the United States. This now brings the total up to thirty .

The UIGEA has been a real thorn in the side of the Obama Administration since it came to power last year with regards trade agreements with the European Union. Barney Frank tried to have the bill overturned last year but failed due to Congress being controlled by Bush Administration Republicans who quashed his Bill. This time around, Frank is confident that the power shift in Congress along with pressure from the EU will drastically improve his chances of success.

The list of names being added to the support of Franks Bill has been steadily growing since he first introduced it at the start of May. The representatives added to the list of supporters are Reps. Steve Israel (New York), Steve Driehaus (Ohio), Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona) and Jared Polis (Colorado).

While support in Congress is vital for the success of Frank’s Bill to overturn the UIGEA, pressure from overseas and especially from the European Union is having the effect of convincing more people to back him than to oppose him. An investigation into US online gambling laws carried out by the EU found that they violated foreign trade agreements already in place between the two. A grace period was granted by the EU for the US to get its laws in order and to bring them back in line with trade agreements. The hope is that Obama’s Administration will be considerably more open to cooperation with the EU than its predecessor was.

There has been little public mention of this issue from the President, although it is known that Obama’s platform provides for an Internet free from any government intervention whatsoever. The UIGEA is seen as being in direct opposition to that which the President has set out to accomplish. Similarly, Obama is keen to improve relations with foreign powers. The success of Barney Franks Bill to overturn the UIGEA will be seen as one way in which the Administration is actively working towards that aim.