Ethics

Odds of Passing Frank's Gambling Bill Increasing

By Ed Brayton

Politico reports that the odds of getting Barney Frank's bill to explicitly legalize and regulate online gambling in the United States passed are increasing because of the recent seizure of more than $30 million in poker players' money by the U.S. Attorney's office:

The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee believes the recent seizure of millions of dollars in online poker receipts only strengthens his hand because it reminds voters and politicians how sweeping -- and potentially unclear -- the existing law is.

"It helps," Frank said after the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York seized, or froze, $34 million in bank accounts belonging to 27,000 online poker players.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on June 28, 2009 (boomark / email).