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The Poker Players Alliance is throwing its weight behind Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) and his efforts to establish a regulated environment in the United States for games of skill including online poker.
Menendez introduced S. 3616, the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act Wednesday. The bill, drafted after consultation with the Poker Players Alliance, would see skill games licensed while forbidding sports betting to be considered a skill game.
"This action by Senator Menendez is yet another example that prohibitions on Internet gambling, and specifically poker, will not work to protect consumers," said PPA Chairman and Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato. "The PPA has long advocated for thoughtful and effective licensing and regulation of online poker as a means to protect vulnerable communities, such as children and compulsive gamblers, and provide appropriate controls to thwart consumer fraud and abuse. Senator Menendez's legislation is the right vehicle to achieve those goals."
Some of the key components of the bill include a process to vet potential licensees, mandatory implementation of technologies to protect against underage gambling and problem gamblers, high standards to thwart fraud and abuse of customers, regulation to prevent money laundering and processes to prevent tax avoidance. Opponents of online gaming have long used money laundering as a reason for their opposition.
The introduction of this bill comes only week after H.R. 6870 was passed requiring clarification of the vague definition of "unlawful Internet gambling" contained in the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). S 3616 would provide even more clarity to the UIGEA and would relieve the banking industry from having to enforce the Act.
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