From Poker News – It would be difficult to imagine a more tilting hearing for poker players to watch than the one Wednesday in the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance.
Internet gambling was compared to pornography, discussed as a hotbed of money laundering by criminal organizations and terrorists, and said to be an avenue for human and drug trafficking.
“I think there was some crazy fear mongering at the hearing that really had no basis that we’ve seen,” said Rich Muny, vice president of player relations for the Poker Players Alliance. “I hope that every poker player has a chance to listen to this because many people think this should be easy. This is a real fight and we need to do our part to advocate for the right to play.”
The archived webcast of the hearing, titled “The Expansion of Internet Gambling: Assessing Consumer Protection Concerns,” and written testimony from witnesses can be viewed here. None of the four witnesses were particularly in favor of online poker regulation.
The Senators themselves seemed more uniformed than at any hearing on the issue since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed in 2006. That’s not surprising given that most movement on the issue has taken place in the House of Representatives. Even though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has floated a proposal two of the past three years that would have legalized online poker, no such bill has officially been introduced in the Senate during that time. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who worked with Reid on last year’s proposal, is ranking member of the subcommittee.
