November 14th: House Judiciary Committee Hearing Thread

[TheEngineer]

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TE, IMO it's time to stop pushing the IGREA HR2046. Rep. Charles Rangel realizes that it does not comply with the WTO decision. Also, I think that we have a chance, if the WTO grants Antiqua IP sanctions, to get a better bill. We can get a bill that repeals the UIGEA, exempts foreign online gambling providers from all federal and state gambling laws and establishes a system of regulation and taxation for US based online gambling providers. However, we need to push for such legislation instead of the flawed IGREA. A law that permits states and sports leagues to opt out and requires foreign providers to become subject to US jurisdiction and maintain records etc. within 500 miles of US is not much of an improvement over the present situation.
If the WTO fails to grant Antiqua the IP sanction and the iMEGA case fails, then pushing the IGREA may be the best we can get.
However, I think that the PPA's lobbyists ought to get ready to assist either the appropriate committee or Congressman in drafting WTO compliant legislation that accomplishes the above goals or at least the first two.
I have no problem with Rep. Wexler's bill, but it has no chance. Also, I am not sure that it will make it easier to transfer money to online poker sites. I think that most ewallets do not want to adopt Epassporte's solution of requiring their customers to separate their poker balances from other gambling parts of their sites. Thus, I wonder if legal online gambling isn't the best solution for online poker players. Now is the time to go for our best law; not a second best alternative like the IGREA.

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I agree 100% that we should push for the best law we can get. I personally tend to show support for IGREA both because we have an existing bill out there and because it seems we should support Frank, an ally of ours (again, just my opinion). As I've mentioned before, IMO if we don't show support for it, it will just look like there's no support for online poker.

That being said, I'd obviously prefer something with a lot less regulation, at least like the Wexler bill. Sumbission to the WTO is the nuts for us, of course, but I think we'll have to show some Congressonal support for to keep the WTO issue active, which is where IGREA keeps coming in.