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Posts Tagged ‘Frank’

US Gambling Law Still in Limbo

Monday, November 29th, 2010

The world of gambling is still sorting itself out and that is putting a strain on companies that want to start reaping the benefits of gambling revenue as soon as possible. In the US the laws are sketchy at best. On one hand there is a legislative body that is working to update the UIGEA and possibly amend it. They want to use the huge tax revenue dollars available to bring in millions of dollars needed to turn things around in the US economy. Their goal is to outdate the UIGEA and bring together some workable regulation to the market of gambling. On the other hand though is an anti-gambling legislative body that believes that legalizing gambling would juts bring more problems to the states involved. These legislators believe that gambling brings in inevitable rises in the amount of crime, corruption and gambling addictions to an area. They say that the cost to fix these problems will eat away at any revenues brought in by them in the first place. It is a difficult time because for the most part, the issue seems to have been shelved by Congress though and this is causing concern.

Though Representative Barney Frank is the one taking the lead on amending the UIGEA, he seems to have lost steam himself. The issue is no longer a priority but rather has fell to the wayside of other more pressing matters that legislators are sorting out. Still—Frank maintains that he is focused on gambling and still is coming up with a regulatory law that would allow for online gambling to legally enter the market and benefit the states and the federal government with million in tax revenue dollars every month. For example, a recent big opening of a casino in Maryland brought in $2 million in revenue over just four days of opening. If you multiply this by three-hundred-sixty-five days a year, you can see how gambling is such a priority to Frank and other pro-gambling activists who believe that it is the key to turning the market around completely and benefiting from the huge dollars that gambling can potentially bring in.

UIGEA Amendment Seems to be on Hold

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

It was hoped that online would get more attention than it has in past months. That may sound odd because gambling has been a hot topic for a lot of companies and in the market, but it isn’t as hot a topic where it counts: legislators. It is true that Representative Barney Frank has been petitioning hard for changes in the gambling market. His main focus is the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. It was a law that should have banned gambling but in the end, all it did was push US gamers to fuel their money out of the country by using offshore gambling companies. In the end it didn’t stop gamblers from wagering in the US, as it was intended to do. For this reason now Frank is taking the reins at changing the laws. He wants to write legislation to amend the UIGEA and offer online gambling to US residents. He wants that money to be kept within the country also.

There is a problem though. The issue of changing the UIGEA and legalizing online gambling has been on the floor for two years now, yet no tangible changes have been made. No strides in the market have happened. The government is no closer to legalization or regulation than it was two years ago. This is proving to be an issue for gaming activists who want the issue to be brought up for debate. They want to see millions of dollars in the US and give the country a chance to generate its own huge revenues. Frank seems to be the only one though who is pushing the issue, and he can’t push it alone. If the issue isn’t addressed soon, experts are saying it won’t be. Or at least it won’t be for another two years when new legislators take their posts. The delay is costing the US billions of dollars though and it is putting the American gaming public in jeopardy. They are playing at non-US websites without the protections the government could potentially give them. Only time will tell where the issues goes in the future, but most likely Frank will continue to push and so will voters.

Proper Legislative Code Needs to Be Written for Gambling

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Many gambling company operators know that now is a critical time in the world of gambling. Barney Frank is a representative who has been fighting hard to write codes that would allow for online gambling. His biggest focus is amending the UIGEA of 2006. If he can come up with the right legislation, this could be a turning point for the US in terms of gambling. In former years it has been a huge debate in the states whether or not to legalize gambling. it isn’t a question of money necessarily, but that could be what wins out in the end. Frank is working overtime with other legislators to create a code that would allow the US to take advantage of that profit, but still protect gamblers. The debates coming from online websites are centered on the UIGEA. Its original purpose, according to its writers, was to protect online gamblers from dangerous online wagering. Gambling activists are noting that it never did that. In fact by prohibiting gambling, all it did was push millions of online wagerers to move to the online world of gambling from other countries. This put them in dangerous positions because in today’s internet market it is easy to set up an offshore company, then bilk people for millions and then run away.

There are a lot of problems with internet gambling. The US tried prohibition and that didn’t work. People are going to wager wherever it is possible is the only thing legislators learned from the UIGEA. China is another country having problems. There they are trying to ban gambling by restricting internet access. This is becoming a heated debate over government censorship and whether or not they can legally do it. Canada is having problems with legalized gambling because of security breaches they have thus far experienced. Overall the problem comes down to writing the right legislative code to do all that it needs to. Barney Frank is taking the helm at the issue, but he has a strong support system also who want to see his legislation passed. Most likely it will eventually get passed, but the question is how long it will take and what the rules will be.

What is the Public View of Gambling?

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

For a few years now the world has been debating online gambling. There is one side that believes that the money that could be generated by legalizing and regulating online gambling is too much to pass up. Since the recession and the huge deficits it created, states are hard-pressed to find other ways of generating the millions needed to overcome financial distress. On the other hand, there are the opponents of legalizing gambling. They believe that the ethical repercussions of legalizing gambling would far outweigh the money. They believe that there would be a myriad of social problems created by the move. For example, they believe that gambling addictions would increase and states would not be prepared with centers to offer enough counseling and care needed by the growth.

A new survey though is showing some interesting information on the public perception of gambling. One company recently did a poll of the US residents to see what people thought about gaming. About 50% believed that gambling was a positive move for countries throughout the state and about the same amount believed that gambling was already legalized in the states. That was interesting because there is a strong anti-gambling sector of the US and they apparently weren’t doing enough to get their message across. Many Americans believe that gambling is legal and that online gambling will be made more readly available to people throughout the coming years.

Although people believe gambling to already be legal, it isn’t. There are still a lot of rules and regulations that need to be sorted out. Representative Barney Frank has been instrumental in making laws and amending the UIGEA for the purpose of eventually legalizing and regulating online gambling. He immediately saw the weaknesses of teh UIGEA of 2006 and petitioned hard for changes. He was one of the first representatives to realize how lucrative gambling could be and how it could potentially be the answer to lagging finances of states if handled correctly. It will take time to come up with laws that adequately police the hobby, but Frank already has a good framework awaiting approval. it would ammend the UIGEA and take gambling to a new level of popularity and use in the USA.

NFL Changing Its Tune on Betting

Friday, August 13th, 2010

It is no secret that the US is in the midst of changes to the gambling market. if you look at the rise in online gambling’s popularity throughout the states, you are going to find millions of players who are now engaging in various online games. This includes poker, slots, video slots, backgammon, baccarat, roulette and bingo. Whatever game you play in a land-based casino you are going to find online these days. Due to that huge rise in popularity, many legislators have their eyes on the huge dollars available. Barney Frank has been instrumental in the US trying to rewrite laws and bills that would replace the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. This law has been used to deny online gambling’s legality for the past four years but has proven to be ineffective to handle the public interest in gambling online.

Frank has taken it upon himself to focus on the issue. He created a proposal to amend the UIGEA and legalize and regulate gambling in the states. In particular he is hoping that the new law will sort out the NFLs former denial of allowing sports betting into the league. The amendment is called HR2267. This is an amendment that prohibits organizations that are licensed under the proposal from engaging in sports betting. The only exception is horse racing. The NFLs VP Brian McCarthy said that the organization does not directly oppose the HR2267 amendment because its lingo has been altered a bit. The amendment has been altered to cater to former hang-ups that opposing companies and organizations had.

For the past few years the NFL has stood strong against sports betting and wagering in general due to the influence it had over the sport. Organizers believed that if sports betting was legalized it would cause players to act dishonestly within the sport and sully its good name. Though there still may be growing pains to overcome, many believe that this first move to amend the UIGEA is a great start for change. They are hoping that this is the beginning of a new era of legalized and regulated gambling within the US and the world of gambling.

UIGEA Still Up For Debate

Friday, July 30th, 2010

It’s been four years now since the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, has been in effect. Though it was meant to help the cause of gambling problems, in contrast it ended up harming it. US casino gamers moved their gambling to offshore companies instead and fueled millions out of the country. Banks were tasked with monitoring all activities and denying those that were direct results of gambling activities. The added cost has proven to be a hefty pricetag for financial institutions, but if they aren’t as staunch they could end up facing huge fines by the government. In an effort to not be fined they were overzealous in their watch for illegal activity and some legal gambling activities were swept away with the rest.

Now, Barkey Frank is petitioning hard for changes. He has been the leader in US remodeling of gambling law and hoping for new laws to replace the UIGEA. He would like to replace the law with a bill that would license and regulate gambling in the US. Financial institutions are in favor of the change because they no longer want the responsibility of monitoring gambling activity. It costs them a lot to manage the issue and that cost is not going to diminish over coming years since all signs are showing that gambling is increasing in popularity. If Frank’s bill is accepted, it will change the face of gambling in the country and this is why Frank is so important to the cause. He has made this his primary focus for the past few years and is number one in finding a solution.

It will take time to sort through the issue, but all signs are showing that the US is in dire need of a change in gambling law. The UIGEA has long failed to meet its intended purpose due to incomplete writings and incomplete definitions. One of the main problems with the bill was that though it revolved around gambling, it never defined what “gambling” really was. The bill was passed without adequate wording. Hopefully Frank’s replacement laws will take on the necessary precautions and be a complete solution to the issue and all it entails.

US Gambling Legislation is Still Being Debated

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

The US state of gambling is changing quickly. Back in 2006 legislators brought in the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The hope was that the legislation would ban online gambling via banning financial institutions from handling gambling related transactions. Banks were tasked with the responsibility of seeking out, flagging and denying any transactions that were related to online gambling. The plan didn’t work well. Banks were scared of the possibility of being fined so they swept every activity that even mildly resembled online gambling into the realm of illegal activity and denied it—even activities that by all accounts should have been treated as legal.

In addition to banks being too staunch in the rulings, online gamblers also fought the UIGEA. Because they were unable to gamble via US-based casino websites they moved their gaming to offshore companies. Of course, this meant that they also took millions of dollars with them and moved them out of the country. In 2009, Congressman Barney Frank noted what a huge failure the UIGEA was and noted that despite it illegalizing gambling, it never even defined what the term “gambling” would include. His goal was to focus on rewriting laws that would allow gambling to enter the country legally and be regulated by the US. Over the following months he worked hard to come up with the proper legislation and rules that would allow gaming into the country and allow the country to benefit from the millions of tax-revenue dollars that are at stake.

Many other legislators are moving in on the issue. They see the benefit of online gambling’s legalization and understand that there are millions of dollars at stake. If laws can legalize and regulate the activities, then the US can take advantage of the huge dollars and try to recover from their own deficits as a result of the recession of 2008-2009. Only time will tell just how far the laws are pushed and how much of a benefit they will be over the long hall. It may take years to know fully how much of a benefit the games are to the economy, but legislators are sure that this is a good move to shore up suffering state coffers.

It May Be Time to Get Rid of the UIGEA

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Once again the UIGEA is up for debate. This time it’s from the top of the government. It seems that President Obama has been having problems with some of his key appointments due to Republicans and their positions when it comes to online gambling. Some Republican lawmakers, including Senator Jon Kyl, have placed holds on appointees to the US Treasury Department. This started when the US Treasury decided to grant a delay on the implementation of the UIGEA, an act that would make it illegal to process online gambling transactions. The Washington Post has reported that Senator Jon Kyl and Timothy Geither from the US Treasury Department have discussed the previous UIGEA delay and the US Treasury Department has promised not to delay the UIGEA again on June 1st when it is scheduled to be implemented. The implementation of this legislation will put a heavy burden on the banking industry and current economic conditions. That was a main problem with the bill– it put too much stress on financial institutions.

If the US Treasury Department keeps their promise, then all of the pressure is on Representative Barney Frank to rush through the widely supported legislation to regulate the online gambling industry and effectively repeal the UIGEA before it’s implemented. The US Congress only has until June 1st to pass the legislation to regulate the industry before the UIGEA is implemented. Ultimately, the financial institutions will be responsible for enforcing the UIGEA. They’ve complained that the UIGEA will put a burden on the financial industry, and they find it nearly impossible to monitor all transactions to catch any illegal gambling deposits. With many rumors abound, the likely result is that the UIGEA will be implemented on June 1st, but it will be one of those laws that is seldom enforced. The US banking industry will likely complain that they cannot police all of their transactions, and the US government will be put into a position where they’ll need to change the law. That’s good news though because of the huge tax-revenue dollars available from the legalization and regulation of online gaming.

Barney Frank Writes New Gambling Law for 2010

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Barney Frank has been instrumental in the push for legalizing and regulating gambling. His main target has been the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, of 2006. The main purpose of the law was to protect online gamblers. Unfortunately, it failed to do the job due to a lack of specific wording. The main complaint of the law is that it never defined what “gambling” is. This created a lot of problems for the market because banks were unclear on what they were supposed to be banning and what activities were legal. Namely some lottery activities were thrown into the mix and deemed unlawful by financial institutions. The activities were later found to be legally exempt from the ban. Overzealous banks that didn’t want fees of any kind were to blame for the overly cautious moves.

The issue of gambling is hot on the mind of Representative Barney Frank. He recently introduced a new legislation that would manage gambling. Not only would it allow for online gambling to exist legally, but it also would allow the US to benefit from revenues via taxation.  It also would take the responsibility of policing transactions away from banking institutions. Part of the problem with giving them the task of regulating activities was that banks were paranoid about missing gambling-related transactions and potentially being at risk for huge fines by the government. Frank’s new bill would first and foremost, be highly specific in wording. Frank is proposing a comprehensive list of what is legal online and what isn’t. Most likely the only activity that will be deemed illegal will be sports betting, but the complete wording has yet to be seen. The most difficult aspect of finding a new law that is adequate in allowing gambling is to create the right wording. Frank has been working on the bill for months now and he has what is being noted as the closest thing to a viable option for legalizing and regulating online gambling. Only time will tell where online gambling goes from here and what the state of it will be after the new amendment to the UIGEA is passed. It isn’t set to be reviewed however until after the new year. Unfortunately there are many other pressing budget issues that are taking precedence over the gambling issue.

Frank Continues His Fight for Legalized Gambling- Part 3

Friday, December 4th, 2009

“The establishment of a well-regulated industry under U.S. jurisdiction would offer far better protection against online gambling’s potential social harms than outright prohibition,” Sparrow said in his testimony. “Combining a thoughtful regulatory scheme with education, technology tools, and support appears to be the most effective means of handling the realities and risks of online gambling in the United States…In the end, consumers in the United States would be better protected than they are now.” These groups are aiming to focus on the problems online gambling for US citizens has had thus far.

Many online gamblers are from the US and when the UIGEA of 2006 came into the market, they were forced to move their business elsewhere out of the country. Offshore gambling entities happily took their business, and their money. It’s estimated that the online gambling industry is a $3 billion industry. One gambling analyst said, “Every day the US does not allow online gambling it is losing millions of dollars.” If anything what the UIGEA proved was that if people can’t gamble in the US, they will move elsewhere to do it.  Carl Rhodens of the University of Michigan stated, “This is America- a nation that is well versed in using the internet to get whatever product or service they want at a few clicks of a mouse. Taking gambling to an ‘illegal’ status within the states is only going to push more people to move outside. We are dealing with the global marketplace now and that means every industry, including online gambling.”

Rhodens is right in that the American public is used to getting what it wants online. In a lot of ways the internet has spoiled people. They know that a simple Google search can bring them whatever they are looking for. No longer do people have to drive around from store to store, only to give up mid-search and settle. In today’s world you can get anything you want, almost instantaneously.  Legislators need to remember this and figure out what they are going to do with the legalization and regulation of online gambling. Although denying it legalization may seem like the best choice, it could cost the nation billions of dollars in revenue. A markup session for H.R. 2267, which would repeal the UIGEA, has not yet been scheduled