On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that U.S. Representative Dina Titus (NV-D) is pushing for a House of Representatives committee to hold a hearing on the current state-by-state expansion of online gambling.
Titus wrote in a letter to the chairman and to a ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that Congress needs to act quickly because online gaming is moving forward in several states. She says:
“Previous efforts in Congress to create a national legal framework for Internet gaming have failed and states have moved ahead of Congress to develop these laws and accompanying regulations.”
Online poker is legal in Nevada. The first pay-to-play website, operated by Ultimate Gaming, has been accepting online wagers since the end of April. It is expected that other sites will launch soon.
By November, New Jersey casinos hope to launch both online poker and casino games. Online gambling in New Jersey, Nevada, and when it launches September in Delaware, is restricted to those players physically located within state lines. Other states are exploring the possibility of legalizing online gambling.
According to Titus, the current state-by-state approach allows certain “bad actors” to enter the market. Nevada does not allow companies that have accepted bets from Americans after 2006 to obtain an interactive gaming license, while the language in the New Jersey legislation does not offer this kind of specification.
Titus writes: “It is critical that Congress create a common sense regulatory framework to address this growing issue. Federal regulation would ensure that consumers are protected.”
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