Poker Legislation…
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 - Annie Duke
I just got back from DC from yet another lobbying trip. But this time I combined it with a vacation with the kids to explore the seat of our nation. I have been to Washington so many times but never during the summer months when the kids are out of school. As soon as the PPA contacted me and asked me if I would be willing to come out and lobby during National Poker Week I thought, “Awesome! I can take the kids with me this time!” And so I did that. The kids got to see a bit of what Mom does when she is in DC but they also got a great vacation trip, experiencing The Smithsonians, The Capital Dome Tour, The Floor of the House of Representatives and all sorts of other cool crap.
So first the lobbying. The Poker issue is really seeing some movement now. Granted, the Health Care Legislation is slowing things up a little right now as Congress is focused on matters that are certainly more important than the poker legislation. But I felt a real difference in the legislators on this issue. On this trip there was much less educating of members on the issue and why it is important, something we had to do a lot of over the past couple of years. This year seemed to be more talking of attack plans, how to get legislation moving forward and how to get other programs paid for using the poker revenue. The $3 billion to $10 billion dollar tax base that would be generated from taking and regulating the poker industry was definitely creating a lot of buzz on The Hill as Members are needing to find ways to pay for the health care program. That much tax revenue is attractive to a country in financial crisis and is most likely one of the big reasons that the support for poker is much more bi-partisan.
There are a few pieces of legislation swirling around Capitol Hill. The first is a piece of legislation that would delay the regulations for UIGEA being put into effect. Those regs are set to go into effect in January. What Rep. Frank is asking for is that that deadline be delayed while a court decides what is or is not legal under UIGEA. The problem is that UIGEA, while admonishing payment processors that they cannot process illegal transactions, does not define what is a legal or illegal activity. HR 2166 would ask the courts to define what is legal so there is clarity on that issue. Put poker up in a court of law and we will take the chance that it will be determined a game of skill and, therefore, a legal activity. I am happy to hang my hat on the courts on this one.
HR 2167 is the full on legalization and regulation of Internet Gaming in all its forms except for sports betting. This bill would put a system in place similar to the system they have in England and 25 other countries already. It would create a licensing process for online gaming companies so they could legally operate in the US. Along with this would come better consumer protection measures and majority verification measures as licensed companies would have to use best efforts to comply on those issues. It is what the companies want and what the consumers want. There is also a bill on the Senate side from Sen. Menendez that would license peer to peer games of skill only…lucky for us, poker falls in that category.
I came away from this trip the most optimistic I have been from any lobbying trip. Hopefully, I am not just being a Pollyanna
In my next blog I will post pictures of all the cool crap we saw at the Smithsonians.
Annie
Tags: Annie Duke, Congress, HR 2166, HR 2167, national poker week, poker legislation, Poker Poker Poker, Smithsonians, uigea, Washington
