It seems that an online gambling debate will happen in the US Congress sooner rather than later as more pressure is put on the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, urging the committee to set a date for a hearing to discuss the current status of online gambling expanding on a state by state level.
Nevada Democrat representative, Dina Titus has sent a letter urging the committee to set a date as time was of the essence as it could negatively affect efforts to control the industry on a federal level as the expansion of states gains speed in an effort to raise much needed taxes by struggling states.
“Previous efforts in Congress to create a national legal framework for Internet gaming have failed and states have moved ahead of Congress to develop these laws and accompanying regulations,” Titus wrote in her letter to the committee.
With online poker a reality now in Nevada with Ultimate Poker already operational and Caesars Interactive said to be almost ready to launch there too, it will not be long until New Jersey and Delaware join them with live online gambling.
In her letter to the House committee she said that this type of individual state-to-state regime allows the entrance of ‘bad actors’ into the system and makes it difficult to regulate an entire industry at a federal level once it is established.
“It is critical that Congress create a common sense regulatory framework to address this growing issue. Federal regulation would ensure that consumers are protected,” Wrote Titus in her letter.
How this pressure will push the committee into action is unsure, but Titus seems to be pushing on behalf of Nevada casino companies that are looking to block certain online companies entering the US online gambling market.
Source: gaming-awards.com