There is finally some good news to be reported in response to Black Friday and Blue Monday. A bill is in the works to legalize and regulate online poker sites in the United States.
Representative Joe Barton from Texas is looking to introduce a bill that would create a regulated and legal online poker environment in the United States. He hopes the bill can pass the House and the Senate during this summer’s session. During a press conference outside Washington D.C.’s Capitol he said, “Poker is a game of skill,” and challenged any naysayers to play with their own money against 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg Raymer.
Barton is looking to move quickly with this bill. Most of it is already finalized with the last leg of finalization, consultation with the Poker Players Alliance, currently taking place. This last leg of bill finalization ensures that poker players have a say in the bill. There are high hopes for this bill passing soon with many Congressmen backing online poker. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is extremely interested in pushing legislation through after he passed a similar bill in his home state. Financial Services member John Campbell of California stated, “With this here, it won’t be Americans playing on foreign sites, it will be foreigners playing on American sites.” Online poker is sure to create jobs in the United States and protect consumers from any shady business on foreign poker sites.
Stay tuned to FlopTurnRiver for updates on this hopeful story!