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An Overview of the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (and what you can do to support it)

As many online poker players have no doubt already read, on Thursday, April 28th, US Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) unveiled a bill titled The Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. While the introduction of this bill alone is certainly a positive step toward the regulation and legalization of online gaming, it will take more than a single bill to motivate any real change in US federal policy toward online gaming. It will take time, heavy lobbying, and – most importantly – small yet consistent actions from players and supporters of American’s rights to play poker online.

The first step everyone should take is to understand what the Frank legislation aims to do (and what it’s doesn’t aim to do). It’s not a long bill, so don’t rely on second-hand interpretations. Instead, read the bill for yourself – the full text is located at:

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/financialsvcs_dem/21frank_004_xml_(2).pdf

You can also read the official summary, located here:

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/financialsvcs_dem/summary_of_internet_gambling_regulation.pdf

The next step people can take is to visit and join the Poker Player’s Alliance. There are several groups that purport to be lobbying for the rights of online poker players, and I’m sure that several of them are well-intentioned and legitimate, but the PPA is far and away the largest and most effective group we have working for us on the hill. Even if you decide not to join the PPA, their page is a great resource for keeping up with the latest news and efforts regarding the fight to legalize online poker.

The third step you can take is to motivate others to take steps one and two. If you post on a forum, change your signature to provide info about this new bill. Do the same with your email signature, and even your IM status message. Set modest goals, like telling 2 people a day about this law and the PPA and why you think it’s an important cause to support. If you use sites like MySpace or Facebook, bulletins and groups are a great way to get information out to a lot of people with minimal effort. These small actions will take a few minutes out of your day, but can easily snowball into an increased level of awareness.

The final step I’d suggest is to be realistic regarding your expectations for this bill. Sadly, on its own, this bill cannot (and does not attempt to) repeal the UIEGA and make playing poker legal in every city of every state in the US. This bill is just a stepping stone toward a reasonable policy of regulation. However, if the federal government sees little or lackluster support for a small step, how likely do you imagine it is that we’ll ever take a large step? Remember that reclaiming this right is going to be a slow, gradual process, with small victories and small defeats, but through persistent and committed action, it is a right that we will be able to reclaim.

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