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 The House Financial Services Committee will mark up HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, next Tuesday. The announcement comes just one day after a special hearing on the bill was held by Committee chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) spokesperson Michael Waxman is very pleased with the bills quick movement through the powerful committee, "Chairman Frank is clearly moving to get his bill advanced before Congress leaves town for their summer recess. Most importantly, the markup shows a commitment by Chairman Frank to move forward and his colleagues to address this issue."
The bill will be marked up along with several other unrelated bills on Tuesday at 10:00am. This will be the first markup on the Committee's agenda since May.
Congressman John Campbell (R-CA) has announced that he would propose an amendment to HR 2267 which would introduce a loss limit to the bill and would introduce technologies to curb illicit use of internet gambling sites. The size and scope of either such amendment is not yet known but Campbell closed Wednesday's proceedings by say, "Alcohol is sold online today widely and there are technologies out there that keep minors from buying that alcohol online."
Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan remains cautiously optimistic about the markup saying, "The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and other groups I'm sure are not going to be satisfied until a markup happens. Otherwise, it's just a quarterly public hearing. I'm hopeful that the markup will happen, but we'll just have to wait and see."
In the mean time supporters like Waxman will continue to remind the media and legislators alike exactly what's at stake. "The passage of this legislation would be a win-win, as it will protect consumers, create an estimated 32,000 new jobs over five years, and provide federal and state governments with as much as $72 billion in new revenues over ten years."
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