Repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act - Barney Frank Supports Online Gambling - Cardplayer.com Supports Barney Frank

It's become a recurring theme on this blog. Online poker is the most glamorous and popular part of the internet gambling industry. But the online poker community doesn't seem as organized as other gambling lobbies. That means we don't get the respect from lawmakers that we deserve.

It looks like there's a movement afoot to change that, though. Citizens and lawmakers are united to repeal the online gambling laws. But that movement needs support from people who enjoy to gamble online. There's no reason that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act should exist.

The federal government sanctions horse track gambling. It allows land-based casino gambling. Online betting isn't even illegal. You can bet on a horse online, but can't bet on the outcome of a deal of cards.

The government seems to find it moral to bet on whether someone scores a touchdown, but not on whether the guy to your right is bluffing. Are fantasy sports really more moral than online gambling.

Still, the Congress saw fit to make it illegal for Americans to play poker online.

Actually, the UIGEA makes it illegal for internet companies to move funds from U.S. citizens to online casinos. In the months after the law was passed, online banks had to stop transacting business with American players.

Is this what users of the internet want? What's the next online business that get prohibited?

I imagine there are plenty of people who run up huge credit card debts by buying too much stuff on e-Bay. Do we want the Feds making it illegal to make purchases on e-Bay?

You laugh, but one intrusive law invites another.

The internet is still relatively new. Government regulation has been minimal up until now. These kind of laws test the bounds of the government in regulating online commerce. The government shouldn't be involved in telling us how we should spend our money on an activity that hurts nobody (except maybe ourselves).

We earned the money, so why can't we decide whether we risk it on a wager?

There are advocates of this position out there. They say the government prohibiting online poker but sanctioning online horse track betting is hypocritical. To them, either gambling is immoral or it isn't. Either you make it all illegal, or you shut up and let us play another hand.

The chief advocate in Congress for online gambling is Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Representative Frank is pushing for repeal of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Representative John Conyers of Michigan, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is another supporter of repeal. Republican Jon Porter and Democrat Shelley Berkely have united to push for a study of online gambling regulation.

Former Republican Senator Alphonse D'Amato is on board. He is Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, which has formed to lobby congress on behalf of the online poker industry.

These people need your help. All you have to do is go online and drop a message to your local representative. That doesn't take a minute.

Here is the contact information for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. You can find how you can contact every representative in Congress at these two links.

Poker players of the world, unite! Okay, that's laying it on a little thick. But it's our country, too, so help us make a difference in what laws we live under.

Repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act - Barney Frank Supports Online Gambling - Cardplayer.com Supports Barney Frank