With Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) poised to introduce legislation to clarify or overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) as early as this week, the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) has rolled out a brand new website.
The organization is among the many involved in the fight to preserve the rights of online poker players in the United States. Its new look was officially introduced last Tuesday. Frank told The Hill that he would introduce legislation favorable to internet gambling before the beginning of May, although as of press time, no indication of if the deadline will be met has been given. SSIGI spokesperson Michael Waxman told Poker News Daily about the impetus for the brand new web portal: “Development of the new site is part of a coordinated effort to educate and engage key audiences, including decision makers on Capitol Hill and our grassroots supporters. For the policy to change, we need decision makers to understand the benefits of regulation.” He added, “We also need supporters to have a voice in the legislative process, which could include using the website to e-mail members of Congress and encourage others to get involved.”
The site is similar in some respects to the look and feel of the Poker Players Alliance homepage. Featured links include “Key Issues,” “Legislation,” “News Center,” and “Action Center.” The latter includes a sign-up form to receive action alerts, access to a special RSS feed for news headlines, and the ability to obtain votes of Congressional members via weekly e-mail. In addition, links to tell a friend as well as insert a “web sticker” on any site are also available. Finally, the Action Center includes access to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate schedules for the current day.
Currently, the centerpiece of the SSIGI website is a link to encourage members of Congress to support Frank’s bill, although the legislation in question is HR 2046, which was last session’s Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. The bill outlined a complete licensing and regulatory framework for the industry. A study by U.S.-based PricewaterhouseCoopers used HR 2046 and a companion tax bill by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) to reveal that up to $52 billion could be raised from internet gambling over a ten year period. The form to e-mail members of Congress allows concerned citizens to insert their own text, but also includes a series of pre-written talking points that can be added. They contain statements such as, “Rather than legislate an individual’s leisure activities, Congress should regulate Internet gambling and implement controls to protect consumers and ensure safe Internet gambling transactions.”
Legislative news articles on the site highlight the latest mainstream media attention paid to the internet gambling issue. Current inclusions focus on whether Frank’s legislation will come to fruition with analysis from the Baltimore Examiner and Associated Press. The latest opinion articles to be printed are also displayed prominently and include recent pieces that appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, European Voice, and The Hill. Press releases from the SSIGI are archived on the organization’s revamped website, as are videos linked from the popular social networking outlet YouTube.
The SSIGI is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and endorsed by a variety of industry staples including the UC Group, Baker Tilly, eCOGRA, Secure Trading, the Remote Gambling Association, GamCare, and the European Gaming and Betting Association. The organization utilizes Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to interact with its constituents and focuses heavily on protecting children online, formulating compulsive gambling safeguards, ensuring secure financial transactions, highlighting new government revenue sources, devising regulated and licensed environments, and pointing out international ramifications.
The SSIGI, along with the entire industry, now awaits potential internet gambling legislation from Congressman Frank. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Capitol Hill.