Should Online Poker Be Legalized?
As federal and state funds dwindle, lawmakers are eyeing a potentially lucrative source of income: Internet poker. According to a 2006 U.S. law, it’s illegal to pay for most online wagers with a credit card—which basically prohibits Americans from betting money on online poker or other such games. (Some people get around this by using foreign credit cards and bank accounts.) A bill sponsored by Rep. Robert Wexler (D., Fla.) seeks to exempt online poker and other  games of skill from the law. If the legislation passes, it could lead to more than $3 billion a year in taxes.
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In a Congress preoccupied by the economy, the Poker Players Allaince knew it would take some populist bluffing to repeal a law effectively outlawing poker Web sites. The group, whose chairman is former New York Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, rallied the champions among its one million members to win a spot on the agendas of lawmakers guiding financial-services legislation.
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The odds might not be in his favor, but U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has gained a valuable ally in his fight to overturn a 2006 law banning online gambling. Poker Players Alliance, a grass-roots organization fighting for poker players’ rights, has put its chips on Rep. Frank’s proposal.
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Some horseracing fans looking to place online bets for the 134th Kentucky Derby this weekend may find their transactions blocked by banks and credit card companies trying to avoid running afoul of unclear federal regulations, gaming and banking industry experts said Thursday.
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As bartenders begin crushing mint for juleps in preparation for this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, often called the most exciting two minutes in sports, a much slower process is unfolding that could have implications for future online wagers in the horse-racing industry.
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Listen to Dino Rossi (R-WA) discuss the state’s online poker ban and state that he would sign legislation repealing it:
 

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Robert Williamson wobbled wearily into the conference room thirty minutes late for a 9am meeting and sat down without making an excuse. He didn’t need one. He’s a professional poker player.
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Legislators have folded on a bill that would legalize kitchen table poker.

A measure legalizing recreational poker games in homes was sent back to a House panel on Wednesday without debate.
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Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, wants to eliminate the $5 bet limit at Colorado casinos to bring in millions of extra revenue for the state.

His proposed constitutional amendment (Senate Concurrent Resolution released Monday doesn’t specify what the new limit would be or what the extra money would be used for.
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The deck may still be stacked against online poker enthusiasts, but an advocacy group that represents them is suddenly holding a whole lot of chips.

The Poker Players Alliance is expected to announce Tuesday that it has registered more than one million members and will be organizing both a political action committee and a voter-registration drive as part of its If You Play, Have a Say campaign.
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