Joe Brennan, Chairman of the iMEGA, spoke about the organization's lawsuit against the Federal Government of the United States. Read more »
iMEGA’s Joe Brennan Discusses Lawsuit
Poker Legislation
Poker Legislation News
Poker Players for Obama in 2008 Election
Duplicate Poker conducted a survey of 1,639 U.S. poker players and found that those who intended to vote for Obama in November's general elections outweighed McCain supporters by a 2:1 margin. The results appear to be in line with political history surrounding the internet gambling issue. Read more »
Americans for Tax Reform Staffer Wins PPA Tournament
Last night in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin addressed members of the party in the Xcel Energy Center. Across town, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and American Gaming Association (AGA) held a fundraiser to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Read more »
European Commission to Investigate Internet Gambling Practices
The European Commission is set to visit Washington, D.C., sometime in the middle of September to discuss gaming legislation with the US Trade Representative. Read more »
Greg Raymer Confirmed for PPA Poker Tournament at RNC
On Wednesday, the Poker Players Alliance will hold a charity poker tournament benefiting the Paralyzed Veterans of America in the context of the Republican National Convention. Read more »
PPA and AGA to Co-Sponsor Event at RNC
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has become involved in the Republican National Convention (RNC), which kicks off on September 1st at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more »
Star-Studded Field for PPA Fundraiser During DNC
With news surfacing on Saturday that Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama had selected Joe Biden (D-DE) to become his Vice Presidential candidate, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) issued a press release announcing new names that are slated to appear at its upcoming fundraiser in Denver. Read more »
iMEGA to File Internet Gambling Case in September
The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association has indicated that the deadline for filing its brief against UIGEA in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is at the end of September. Read more »
Poker Players Alliance to Host Fundraiser During DNC
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) announced that it is setting up shop in Denver on August 26th, during the 2008 Democratic National Convention which begins the day before. Read more »
Remote Gambling Association Sides with Pete Sessions
Just a few days ago, the Remote Gambling Association took a stand supporting Pete Sessions' HR 6663, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Clarification and Implementation Act of 2008. Read more »
Robert Wexler and Steve Cohen Weigh in on EU Dispute
The UIGEA has been criticized from both the legislative and legal fronts, and recently, two of America's top Congressmen have weighed in on the dispute between the United States and European Union over internet gambling. Read more »
Yet Another Deadline for US-Antigua Dispute Settlement
The US seems to be playing a holding game with its international gaming complaints: on one hand the US Trade Representative keeps postponing a meeting with EU delegates, and on the other hand the deadline for settling the dispute between the US and the Caribbean island of Antigua has been changed once more, this time to October 1st. Read more »
US Trade Representative Postpones Meeting with EU Delegates Once More
The US Trade Representative keeps dismissing the EU's efforts to discuss the gaming situation between the superpowers – the meetings between them were scheduled originally for the end of July, yet they have been given a anew postponement with no apparent justification or an alternative date set. Read more »
Pete Sessions HR 6663 Gains Fourth Co-Sponsor, Opposition
Republican Congressman Pete Sessions (TX) introduced HR 6663, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Clarification and Implementation Act of 2008. On the surface, the bill seems like a good deal for online poker, but the online poker industry is not convinced. Read more »
Pete Sessions Introduces HR 6663 to Clarify UIGEA
United States Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX) introduced HR 6663, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Clarification and Implementation Act of 2008 intending to diagnose exactly what should be deemed legal and illegal under the UIGEA. Read more »
Internet Gambling Study Bill HR 2140 Fails to Reach Mark-Up
HR 2140, the Internet Gambling Study Act, was scheduled to be marked up on Wednesday, July 30th, but a resolution and report on Karl Rove took center stage, making national headlines and forcing discussion of several bills on the docket to be postponed. Read more »
Congressmen Urge Treasury and Federal Reserve to Clarify UIGEA
Recently, four Congressmen wrote to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Bernanke. Their goal was simple: Clarify the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act as to what is legal and illegal under its jurisdiction. Read more »
iMEGA Set to File Appeal in Internet Gambling Lawsuit
You may have never heard of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association. It's called iMEGA for short and it's leading the charge to declare the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act unconstitutional. How, you ask, could the 2006 law be overturned? iMEGA is on the verge of filing its claim in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the Northeast United States, charging that the UIGEA violates First Amendment rights. A judge recently granted the organization standing to sue. PokerNewsDaily recently spoke with iMEGA Executive Director Ed Leyden to learn more about the Washington-based organization and the future of its lawsuit. Read more »
Congressman Spencer Bachus Lies About Suicide Connection to Gambling
In a House Financial Services Committee hearing on June 25th, the topic was HR 5767, which would have blocked the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from becoming a reality. Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) led the opposition to the bill. Bachus centered his arguments not on the merits of the UIGEA or even on whether the law could ever actually be enforced. Instead, Bachus took the moral road, focusing on the deleterious effects of gambling on our nation's youth. Read more »
Internet Gambling Bill HR 6501 to Bring $40 billion to Underserved Populations
Internet gambling has been thrown under the bus by the Republican leadership in the United States. Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), who has been directing the opposition to the return of the industry to the United States, has claimed that allowing online poker to exist will do nothing more than bring this social ill right into our children's bedrooms. Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) has struck back, introducing HR 6501 on Wednesday. The bill offers up to $40 billion over the next ten years to individuals currently or previously in foster care as well as workers in declining economic industries. With this new money, these individuals can seek out job training and secondary education opportunities in order to improve their skills in the workplace. All of the money comes from taxation of the internet gambling industry in the United States, assuming Congress decides to regulate it. Read more »
House Financial Services Committee Halts HR 5767
In an unexpected turn of events on Wednesday, HR 5767, a bill proposed by Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) that would have stopped the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve from implementing the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, was defeated in the House Financial Services Committee. A vote for an amendment by Congressman Peter King that would have required cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice to identify what "illegal" and "legal" transactions were under the UIGEA ended in a dead heat largely along party lines. When the smoke cleared, the 32-32 vote meant that the amendment was defeated. The Committee then turned to a verbal vote for HR 5767, which was defeated when the "Nays" greatly outnumbered the "Yays." The news came as a shock to many in the internet gambling industry. Read more »
Update on European Commission Questionnaires to USTR
In March, the Remote Gambling Association filed a complaint with the European Commission. The issue stemmed from the United States allowing domestic operators of sites that allow U.S. citizens to wager on horse racing, fantasy sports, and lotteries, but prohibiting operators like PartyPoker from soliciting U.S. customers. This inconsistency prompted the RGA, whose membership includes the major online poker companies like Victor Chandler, Unibet, and Ladbrokes, to file a formal complaint. In response to the RGA's complaint, the Commission sent the U.S. Trade Representative a formal questionnaire. Read more »
HR 5767 to be Marked Up; Now Has 20 Co-Sponsors
While you were busy hitting the links or just taking it easy this weekend, two big developments occurred on the legislative front in the United States. To catch you up to speed, back in 2006, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, from Tennessee, pushed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act through Congress. Read more »
