The first salvo in the federal online gaming regulation wars will be fired on Tuesday when a House subcommittee meets to discuss the subject in Washington, D. C.
On Tuesday, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade will hold a hearing at 12:30PM (Eastern Time) at the Rayburn House Office Building in the nation’s capital. As an internal memo circulated to members of the subcommittee states, the purpose of the hearing is to “examine the status of Internet gaming in the United States.” Further discussion of the subject will also look at Texas Representative Joe Barton’s bill that has languished in the House since its introduction, H.R. 2666 or the “Internet Poker Freedom Act of 2013.”
The Barton bill, which was reintroduced this summer in the House, is very similar to the previous online gaming and poker legislations that the Congressman has proposed in that it would look to put significant federal regulation on the industry. The legislation would leave the ability for states and/or Indian tribes to opt out of federal regulation, allow for online poker but no other forms of online casino gaming, set age restrictions and not allow for credit card transactions for gaming purposes. Previously, the attempts by Rep. Barton have been heard in this same subcommittee back in 2011, but the bill died with the close of Congress in 2012.
The stakes are a bit higher this time with the full discussion of online gaming and poker as well as H.R. 2666. Six invited witnesses will be allowed to testify in front of the subcommittee and both sides of the argument will be stepping up. The Poker Players Alliance is sending Executive Director John Pappas, who will no doubt be on the side for the federal regulation of online poker at the minimum and potentially online gaming overall. He will be joined by Geoff Freeman, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Gaming Association, which also advocates for a federal resolution to the question of online gaming and poker.
The Sheldon Adelson-led anti-online gaming forces will be led by Andrew Abboud, the Vice President of Government Relations and Community Development with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Adelson, the Chief Executive Officer and owner of the LVSC, has been vocal throughout 2013 in his opposition to online gaming, even to the point of using the LVSC to form an anti-online gaming group, the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling. Not directly linked to Adelson’s forces but probably supportive of his drive will be another witness, Les Bernal, the National Director for the group Stop Predatory Gambling.
Two professors are also on the witness list who will, if their testimony during the 2011 Barton bill hearings is a precursor, offer their opinions on current technologies and consumer protections. Dr. Rachel Volberg, an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, will examine the technology side of the equation and Kurt Eggert, a Professor of Law at Chapman University, will look at consumer protections.
The PPA has recognized that this could be a pivotal moment in the fight for federal online gaming regulation and is calling on all forces to help drive support. “Unlike some past hearings to license online poker, this one will be hotly contested,” Rich Muny, the PPA’s Vice President of Player Relations, wrote in the latest PPA newsletter. He notes the Adelson’s forces are mounting their charge for a federal ban regarding online gaming and has encouraged members and poker players alike to contact the members of the House subcommittee, especially its chairman Representative Lee Terry and, if a member of the subcommittee is the representative from your district, to also contact that Representative and express your opinion. This has extended from simple Tweets to Facebook posts to actual calls to the committee members’ Washington offices.
There will be no vote on H.R. 2666, but the hearing could determine if there will be any further action taken on it over the next year. This Congress’ concludes in January 2015 so, if the Barton bill isn’t reviewed well in this meeting and doesn’t pass out of committee at some point – and if similar legislation isn’t created in the Senate to allow for a comprehensive bill to go forward to President Barack Obama – it will die once again.
