Link:

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/heari...r_040910.shtml

A reminder:
HR 2266 - delays UIGEA for 1 year.
HR 2267 - online gambling regulation

h/t to Dan Michalski at Pokerati

Yay! Good news for sure.

Glad to hear!

So what does this mean?

What can we as the community do to help the odds of this succeeding?

pray

more seriously, donate to the PPA.

HR 2266 - delays UIGEA for 1 year. WE NEED THIS!
HR 2267 - online gambling regulation what exaclty is this one?

HR 2267

There was a hearing on this bill back in December.

It means that Barney Frank is keeping his promise to advance the federal legislation for licensing and regulation of Internet gambling.

1. Join the PPA if you are not yet a member.

2. Get all other poker players (and others) to join the PPA as well, even if only the free membership. The more members we have, the political clout we have.

3. Donate to the PPA and the PPA PokerPac.

4. Take immediate action when you receive an Action Alert notice from the PPA to e-mail your legislators, etc.; and get others to do the same.

This is what we refer to as The Barney Frank Bill. It is the proposed federal legislation to license and regulate Internet gambling, including Internet poker. If passed, the UIGEA will no longer apply to poker sites which receive a license from the U.S. government (except if you live in a state which chooses to opt out).

There are still many aspects of the BF Bill which are not what we want. The PPA is lobbying hard to get these changed. The April hearing may be the time when some or all of these provisions are changed in the committee by amendment votes (which is called "markup" of the bill). Only after the bill is marked up in committee, and then advanced to the full House floor for debate , will we know what will be close to the final form of the legislation (the full House can still amend the bill before final vote).

Since BF is having the hearing on HR 2266 as well, I think his plan is probably to advance HR 2266 to a full House vote right away to get a further delay of the UIGEA regulations. This will give him the time needed to complete the process of getting HR 2267 marked up, advanced through to the full House, and all the other steps necessary to get it enacted into law. It is a clear indication that he is serious about stopping the UIGEA and getting his licensing bill enacted.

This seems like good news. Was the speculation that there would not be a hearing in April before this was announced?

It was originally expected in January, then February, then March. And last rumor was it would be in May. Silly little things like Healthcare Reform, Jobs Creation, etc. seemed to keep the attention of the legislators elsewhere.

Sounds like some good news at last.

Joined the PPA myself and got all my poker friends to do the same.

Good luck.

I thought in other threads it was said that the uigea going into effect June 1st was now a certainty. Was this information wrong or was I misunderstanding?

We may not get another administrative delay of UIGEA from the Treasury like we did in Dec. HR 2266 is legislation that would delay UIGEA for another year if it passes. The house is having hearings on both HR 2266 and HR 2267, which would still need to be sent from the committee to the full House for a vote. These hearings are just one (positive) step in the process of these bill becoming law.

Edit: Once again Kevmath finds links to info faster then anyone and proves he's not human but some kind of advanced cyborg robot, I wonder if he can find a link showing where my dog is that ran away 5 years ago

This is good news that we haven't been forgotten. Kudos to Barney Frank.

However, it's doubtful we can get extension based on his previous quotes in that article from pokernewsdaily.com

Not saying that we shouldn't still help get letters out. But just saying that it seems like it's set in stone that June 1st is going to happen if it's true that kyl and geintner negotiated a deal

I think we really need the help of the banks again. To say that the UIGEA is unenforceable because of it's vagueness and imposing restrictions that make it hard to root out 'unlawful' online gaming transactions. The banks and the horse racing industry appear to have the difference last delay

You don't sound like my #1 fan. I don't know who my #1 fan on the poker rights issue is, but I imagine that individual is pretty eager to fight back, without regard to prospects of success. After all, there's something to be said for fighting for what's right on general principle.

When we geared up to fight back after UIGEA passed, it was largely on general principle only. IMO we're very fortunate to be where we are now, as we now have a credible voice and a real fight for our rights.

PPA has not conceded at all. That being said, most banks have already implemented their UIGEA policies. June 1 is not doomsday by any means. Doomsday is when we all give up and stop fighting back.

I see what you are saying, that you are fighting on principle. That is why i regard you as the MLK Jr. of poker advocacy rights. But i'm also reminding people of what Frank said in the Matthew Kredell article. To get people amped up of the possiblity of another delay would be a repeat of the MA casino bill inaccurate update. It's just not worth exhausting the suspense and curious wonderment to give false hope in an otherwise bleak and predetermined area.

Don't worry, my thoughts on this subject shouldn't make the difference between people sending letters or not sending letters, becoming a member or not. I have praised your efforts and the rest of the PPA's team in my posts. I know that you guys have come a long way and that deserves no shortage of gratitude.

But i have become more realistic about poker and legislation. It's widely believed that online poker will be regulated someday, but that day will not be soon. We can't expect leaps and bounds in this process. To not sound contradictory, although i have said that i praise your efforts, i've learned to be skeptical about positive news delivered by a member of the PPA. I dont' blame the PPA for wanting everybody to get excited and inspire them into action to help our cause for momentum, but it seems that the general optimism you guys have is a little bloated or misleading. After all, when was the last time PPA made a thread titled, "insert topic here will not pass and efforts have been denied." It seems like rarely.. usually kevmath or someone who did a google search on UIGEA and narrowed the results down to recent news has to post the bad news. I guess what i'm trying to do is create a stronger awareness of our enemies' prowess and to not make it seem that it will be as easy as writing a letter or making a phone call to shake them. But it can't hurt.

I'm not sure the purpose for calling this hearing is as positive as we hope. Remember that Spencer Bachus requested at the December hearing that a future hearing be held on UIGEA with representatives of the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Board present. Michael Waxman of the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, who posts on this board as JeffreyS, told me the hearing was also about Frank acquiescing to a request from Bachus. However, Waxman thinks that, no matter the purpose for calling the hearing, any discussion of UIGEA will be positive since the regulations are so obviously flawed. I've written an article on the topic for PokerNews that will be posted shortly.

That's more like a #1 fan!

Again, this is but one battle in the broader war. Aside from some social conservatives, I believe our opponents realize by now that online poker will exist in one form or another. It seems the battle has shifted from one of prohibition to one of how to license and regulate it.

As for Frank, he seems to believe that if the regs succeed, more people may wake up and fight back. I disagree with this notion, but it is an idea that many share, including some here.

It may or it may not, but IMO there will be poker to play in the meantime. The games may be tougher, and cashing out may be harder, but we'll be playing.

I don't feel that I'm overly optimistic, and I definitely never exaggerate our chances in hopes of generating enthusiasm. I post what I feel to be the reality of the situation -- nothing more and nothing less.

I've said that we have no shot at an outright repeal of UIGEA and the Wire Act. I've also stated clearly that the status quo is not at all solid. Until U.S. based sites can participate, everything is unstable. I also try to remind everyone of the strength our opponents showed in passing UIGEA.

Kevmath is fast, but I post when we lose a court case or a vote if find out before its posted.

The hearing in December was lightly attended by the Committee, as some of them were dealing with the White House gatecrashers. IIRC, the Federal Reserve and Treasury people who attended a hearing back in 2008 said the UIGEA would be difficult to enforce?

Lol, i disagree with him, too. He must not know how lazy, ungrateful online poker players can be. Not to mention, how degenerate. Some may get excited at the thought of using their intelligence and craftiness to hone their crime chops by circumventing the UIGEA.

Which is another reason why i appreciate how you are willing to donate your time and effort to what can be a thankless endeavor. I've mentioned this before, but i'll repeat it again for the sake of insulting lurkers who remain unflinchingly inactive in this fight. The complacency which the majority of the US online poker crowd shows is sickening and their sense of undue entitlement deserves nothing.



You have decided to go pro-- meaning your main source of income is from poker. Second thinking your decision yet?


Maybe it's not you, but some other members i'm talking about...

3...2...1...

I'll let someone else tee off.

Also, i just want to add that my second to last post ITT was to tell people not to get their hopes up about June 1st. Final rule mandatory compliance will happen on that date. HR2266 seems kind of pointless to bring up, imo.

TE, you don't have to remind me how long of a process this is. I know or rather, i have a feeling that regulation won't happen for another 4 to 5 years. So this will be a long battle.

Case in point... the laziness i was describing. The "i'll let someone else do the work and speak my mind while i continue to twiddle my thumbs" attitude.

You've peaked my interest. Please post here the direct link to your article when it becomes available.