News

Thursday, 06 May 2010 00:19

Representative Barney Frank gains yet another co-sponsor from an unlikely corner of the country. Nevada has always resisted online gambling, but now have they have seen the light?

With many supporters backing his plans for legislation to regulate the online gambling market in the US, there has always been one state that has remained lukewarm to his proposals. Nevada has held back from having much to do with the online gambling debate because their biggest industry in land based casinos felt under threat from what it saw as unfair competition for their gambling dollars. But now, with the current economic problems causing a lot of financial headaches for the casino owners, the state seems to have warmed somewhat to Frank's ideas.

To that end, Representative Dina Titus has come forward in support of the proposed bill and appended her name onto the growing list of co-sponsors of H.H. 2267. With New York's Rep. William Owens becoming the 67th co-sponsor, Titus has become the 68th for a bill that is designed to lay a solid foundation on which to build a regulated online gambling industry for the United States.

With Frank receiving support from Nevada lawmakers, it shows just how the entire country is standing behind the Legislator from Massachusetts. Nevada casinos may at last be realising the benefits that exist from the proposed regulation of Internet gambling in the United States.

While Steve Wynn, who is a top casino mogul in the country, has long opposed online gaming regulations in any form, his competitor Harrah's Entertainment has fully embraced the idea by having already created an online casino website that accepts customers from outside the US borders. The economic recession is a major factor in helping to change minds in other Las Vegas gaming companies. Vegas has already been displaced as the world's gaming capital by Macau and competition is growing from other states in the US on a month by month basis.

If Barney Frank's legislation goes through the house and is approved, there is the belief by many analysts that US based companies that have an established history in the gambling industry will be first to be given a chance at applying for online gaming licenses. Now that Rep. Titus, from Nevada's Third District has joined the supporting members, she has provided some extra impetus to add weight to the bill's progress.