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Will Frank Manage UIGEA Repeal?

If online slots and casino gambling were to have a white knight in the uphill battle against the U.S. Legislature, it would be Barney Frank. The outspoken, flamboyant lawmaker has gone to bat for online casinos time and again, and was one of the biggest opponents of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) passed under the Bush administration. Even then, Frank refused to give up on the matter. He favors measures that would promote SAFER gambling, versus none at all – including age verification requirements for casino portals, increased support for problem gamblers, and national licensure and regulation of casino sites on the World Wide Web. Now that Barack Obama is in office, Frank is again trying to repeal the UIGEA and bring some of the best online slot machine titles and other forms of internet gambling back to Americans.

Last week, Frank announced that he would be authoring another bill meant to repeal the UIGEA within a month’s time. Almost immediately, gambling forums across the Web cheered Frank. A potential end to the ban against online slots and other forms of gambling is a wonderful proposition to fans of internet gambling, which is more convenient and oftentimes, more fun than land-based play. A few hardy sites have managed to avoid the crackdown of the U.S.’s legal hammer, but most –including those run by the best-regarded software company in the world, Microgaming- have pulled out, leaving Yanks without many options. If variety is indeed the spice of life, U.S. gamblers have been left with some very bland vittles for a long time now!

Back to February 2009 Archive.