UIGEA

Anthony Cabot, a highly respected Las Vegas lawyer known for his extensive knowledge of the Internet gaming industry, this week voiced his opinion on the likely influence that presidential candidates McCain and Obama may have on the industry if elected.

Barney Frank's HR6870 Payment Service Protection Act will probably not be voted on this congressional session despite its successful 30 -19 vote in the House Financial Services Committee on September 16.

Senator Robert Menendez's attempt to legalise online poker in the United States advanced to the Senate this week with the introduction of the New Jersey Democrat's bill S. 3616, the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act.

The Internet freedom pressure group Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) has filed its brief with the US Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit, in the matter of iMEGA v. Keisler, et al. The suit is the latest move by the industry association, which has been granted legal standing in a previous hearing and now challenges the constitutionality of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA).

The dust had hardly settled on this week's House Financial Services Committee approval of Barney Frank's HR 6870 Payments System Protection Act when the Poker Players Alliance announced its support for the latest attack on the UIGEA - amendments and all.

Congressman Barney Franks’s latest attack on the UIGEA - HR6870 Payments System Protection Act - has passed its mark-up stage in the House Financial Services Committee and is on its way to the House, after heated debate and a positive vote of 30 - 19 this week.

The Barak Obama presidential campaign reacted quickly to reports Friday that Hunter Biden, son of Obama's vice-presidential running mate Senator Joe Biden, was associated with lobbying activities to legalise online gambling for client Russ De Leon, a shareholder in the Party Gaming group.

Congressman Barney Frank's latest legislative attempt to bring some precision and sense to the controversial UIGEA and its ambiguous regulations has been given a fast ride to a markup session by the House Committee on Financial Services, which Frank chairs.

Online gambling in the United States is in the headlines again as the week closes, with a new political initiative by House Committee on Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank. His Payments System Protection Act of 2008 just introduced seeks to push federal authorities on a more precise definition of exactly what constitutes "illegal" Internet gambling in terms of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and supporting regulations, long a bone of contention.

The iMEGA legal team preparing the pressure group's challenge to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has been bolstered by the inclusion of a top Washington DC attorney. Stephen A. Saltzburg, professor of law at George Washington University has been working with iMEGA’s legal team as it prepares its case for the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.