As the summer fades and the fall brings in the exhilarating sights of the changing seasons in the United States, the online gambling news is once again making big headlines.  Over the course of the past year, Democratic Representative Barney Frank has used his powerful political clout to convince his Democratic cronies to support his bill to legalize online gambling in the U.S.  

It seems that Congressman Frank’s efforts have paid off.  There is overwhelming support in the House of Representatives to overturn the unpopular Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) which has made online gambling illegal in the United States.  The online gambling lobbyists have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to convince lawmakers on the fence regarding this issue that online gambling can be the great panacea to ease the economic situation in the United States.

The time is ripe for a vote in Congress.  There is an overwhelming majority for the Democrats over the Republicans in the House, and Frank’s fellow Democrats support his bill with vigour.  Recently, online gambling news made national headlines when Frank went on the popular late night television show, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, to gain public support for his online gambling legislation.

Leno quizzed Frank on his online gambling stance.  Frank made the point that if someone wants to play poker online, he or she can’t, simply because the government has decided that it is not in the best interest of the player.  Frank stated that this is entirely wrong.  Additionally, Frank stated that online gambling would produce billions of dollars in tax revenues for the United States government.

Leno, playing the devil’s advocate, told Frank that people could use their credit cards to engage in online gambling and, in reality, they would be spending money that they don’t have.  Frank responded by stating that the bill, HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, would set limitations on players’ accounts and it would impose the utilization of debit cards and prepaid credit cards to fund the online gambling accounts.

The online gambling news continues to heat up and this column will keep you informed of all developments on the international front.