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Internet Gambling Industry starts to Mobilize Against UIGEA

by Thomas Jensen on Saturday, April 14th, 2007

Internet Gambling Industry starts to Mobilize Against UIGEA The internet gambling industry is starting to mobilize against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 after calls from the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank of Massachusetts.

The Barney Frank Support Initiative was officially announced on Gambling911.com early today.

"The purpose of the initiative is to get everyone remotely involved with online gambling to show their support for Congressman Frank's efforts and to provide individuals with a method to do so that requires little effort on their part," said Gambling911.com Publisher, Christopher Costigan. "Gambling911.com will simply act as a facilitator to help publicize these efforts."

Meanwhile, the folks from CasinoGamblingWeb.com have already started an "outcry" campaign. Costigan stated that he will be meeting with some website owners on Tuesday to discuss their ideas and other industry websites are expected to start promoting the Barney Frank Support Initiative throughout the upcoming week.Â

"I think a reconsideration among my colleagues is beginning but it's not far enough along yet," Frank said. "If the storm of public unhappiness is great enough then I will try to substantially revise that ban."

Frank has called UIGEA the "stupidest law ever passed" and is looking to introduce the legislation with the help of Southern Nevada Congresswoman, Shelley Berkley and others. "I want to get it undone," Frank told reporters. A bill to end a ban imposed last year on online gambling in the United States will be presented within two weeks but will likely need time to garner support, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said on Thursday.

Republican’s Jim Leach and Jon Kyl were unable to secure enough support to ban online gambling in the United States until late 2006. The lack of support by the rest of Congress is the reason that UIGEA was tacked on to a completely unrelated National Security bill on the last day and last session of the 109th Congress under the watchful eye of former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. The gambling provisions (UIGEA) had not been debated by any Congressional committee prior to being added within the Safe Port Act.

UIGEA would have never passed as a stand alone bill. Jim Leach learned first hand the power of the online gambling industry’s ability to mobilize. After the 2006 US elections, the Des Moines Register reported that Iowa Representative Jim Leach's shocking loss came at the hands of disgruntled online gamers who launched a unified campaign against him only a month earlier. A similar effort was made against Jon Kyl in Arizona. Kyl ultimately won a third term as Arizona Senator but his margin of victory was much slimmer than had been anticipated months earlier.

Despite Kyl’s short term victory in the “War on Internet Gambling”, it is clear that millions of United States citizens want to gamble online. The politicians of the United States cannot continue to deny the will of its citizens and most importantly registered voters.

Point-Spreads.com is 100% behind the Barney Frank Support Initiative and will continue to promote any efforts to legalize online gambling in the United States.