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 HR 2267, the Internet Gambling, Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act picked up its 70th co-sponsor last week. Congressman John Campbell (R-CA) agreed to co-sponsor the bill after a number of amendments were added to help insure consumer protection.
A total of 18 amendments were discussed last Wednesday including the option for internet gamblers to select a loss limit. Campbell's addition to the bill will mandate that the odds of winning will be posted and users will be able to choose which random number generator they would like to use when playing on the virtual felt.
"When you take all of this together, many of the objections put forth to this bill should be handled by this amendment. We have a number of consumer protections that do not currently exist online," said Campbell summarizing what his amendment could mean for players.
Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan, who opposes the amendment, told Poker News Daily, "Campbell's amendment puts all of the costs of prevention on the operators. It essentially liberates individuals from personal responsibility and casts the industry as nothing but a harbinger of doom for people who are powerless. I can understand that people want to put protections in place, but you're talking about upping the ante. How many operators will be able to afford that?"
The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) however was more optimistic about recent developments. SSGI spokesperson Michael Waxman said that, "It was good to see some new members supporting HR 2267, including Congressman Campbell, which further illustrates that this is a bipartisan bill."
The future of HR 2267 still remains unclear. Lawmakers will soon break for their annual summer work period and Congress has a target adjournment date of October 8th for general elections which will see every House seat and one-third of the Senate up for reelection. Right now HR 2267 does not have a supported companion bill in the Senate and the subject has yet to be discussed in any capacity. HR 2267's revenue companion bill HR 4976 has also yet to be marked up in the House Ways and Means Committee, although the group discussed the legislation in May.
The bill still has a long way to go but with any luck things will start to move along a little more swiftly. As always we'll keep you posted on any new developments.
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