Online poker players and the Poker Players Alliance are celebrating the markup and passage of HR 2267 in the House Financial Services Committee. The measure passed the committee on a vote of 41 yes, 22 no, with one Congresscritter voting “Present.” The measure can now be taken up by the full House of Representatives.
The good news is that Congress is actually considering licensing and regulation of online gambling (primarily online poker). That said, this measure has almost no chance of becoming law in this session of Congress.
First, in order for it to be voted on in the House the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), would have to allow it to come up for a vote. She’s opposed to the measure so that in itself likely dooms it. Additionally, there is a companion measure (HR 4976, previously HR 2268) must pass the House Ways and Means Committee. No hearing or markup on that bill has been scheduled.
Even if HR 2267 somehow comes up for a vote in the House and passes, it would still have to pass the Senate. It’s far tougher for the measure to pass in the Senate given the rules of the Senate: Any Senator can place a ‘hold’ on legislation. Given that Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is vehemently opposed to the measure, that’s likely. There’s additional opposition from Democrats, too, including both of California’s Democratic Senators (Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein).
We are getting closer to having legal online gambling in the US, though. I’ve been telling friends that we were at least five to ten years away from legalization and regulation in the US. Now, I think we’re about five to ten years away from passage. It will likely take that long for a measure to get through both houses of Congress and signed by the President. It took nearly ten years for a measure inhibiting online gambling to pass Congress (the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006). It will probably take just as long for a measure authorizing online gambling to pass Congress. Still, this is progress.
