Good article in the LA Times:
Read/digg: http://digg.com/d1r4Ae
Direct digg link: http://digg.com/politics/LA_Times_A_push_to_legalize_Internet_poker_casino_gaming
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gambling13-2009may13,0,6672183.story
A push to legalize Internet gambling
Supporters tell Congress that online gaming can be regulated and taxed. Critics worry that such easy access to betting could worsen addictions.
By Ben Meyerson
May 13, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- The online gambling industry is waging a campaign in Congress to legalize Internet betting, arguing that it is here to stay and can be regulated and taxed. But opponents are raising moral objections.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), head of the House Financial Services Committee, is leading the fight for gamblers. A previous effort by Frank failed to get out of committee, but the combination of grass-roots and corporate support -- as well as the weakening of the Republican Party -- might improve the odds, advocates said.
"The poker players and other online gamblers have gotten organized," Frank said, adding that he supported the legislation as a matter of personal freedom.
I. Nelson Rose, a professor at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa and coauthor of the book "Internet Gaming Law," thinks Frank will have the power to push legislation through the House this time around.
"It will pass, although there will be changes," Rose said. "Very few people in Congress really care at all about Internet gambling.".......