Members of the US National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) will be getting together for their yearly discussion within this month and among the subject matters on their agenda is the study of the impact of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The UIGEA was passed into law by President Bush just this last October, there have been those who are saying that discussing its significance for individual states, which jealously guard their right to legislate gambling, may be too little or just too late for that. However, anti-online gambling politicians have been quick to assure their state-level counterparts that their authority remains undiminished.
The NCLGS has some clout because it is a significant and regularly convoked platform where U.S. state lawmakers interact and discuss gaming issues. Although the organization has traditionally and rather conservatively stood in opposition to internet gambling before, now it is already been opened to changing its position to mainly target on how they regulate properly, according to a report in Interactive Gaming News this week. NCLGS President and Florida Sen. Steven Geller explained that we consented to reassess our defense because that defense has been followed by the group for almost 5 years already and apparently there already has quite a wider change already in the technology now, while NCLGS' position has always been that, states should have the freedom to regulate gambling as they see fit, online gambling has been an obstruction to this. NCLGS feels, that they need to be educated on the matter, he said.
Officials in the US will hopefully contribute to the debate how the 2006 U.S. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the subsequent efforts to modify it by the licensing and regulation of Internet gaming will impact individual states abilities to regulate gaming on their own area. This will be facilitated by a panel discussion on June 9, titled "Internet Gaming Ban & Safe Harbors: Who Wins? Who Loses?" Panelists would be Dan Walsh, lead lobbyist of the games assembly, David Robertson, former chair, National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling; Michael Bolcerek, president, Poker’s player coalition; and William Ford, senior counsel, corporate secretary, Magna Entertainment Corp, as reported by IGN.
The purpose of the session is therefore to open a dialogue between state legislators and gaming regulators who are likely feeling tentative about how to navigate through the uncertain new political climate.
States need to know what kind of gambling is legal in their states and online gambling basically should not really be part of it, as Geller noted. The main objective of the exchange of views with the states would be to talk about their decision whether they want it in their state or not." The discussions will also be an opportunity for NCLGS members to update themselves on relevant legislative moves, from the UIGEA which seeks to disrupt financial transactions with online gamblings.
Other important matters would be the attempts made by Rep. Barney Frank to introduce a regulation and licensing regimen, Geller, who acknowledges he knows very little about Frank's bill, is reserving his opinion on it until after the meeting. Geller elaborated further that NCLGS is not mandated to take any state policy positions. We're its only information; I think it's the only type of gambling we've taken a position on. Depending on what we will be hearing, we may reassess our stand on it."
NCLGS should already take a new stand concerning online gambling, their being linked with the states legislatures might result in the changing of UIGEA in some states or yet for all USA. Gamblers are suggested to abide this as it can be a good tidings for online gamblers in US or all throughout the world.
June 11, 2007, 6:30 pm (13 years ago)
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