Views from the Political Rail
Like most poker players, I took the opportunity last night to sweat the election results from the rail last night. Of particular interest (other than the obvious) to me in this election were the races involving “friends” of online poker such as Barney Frank and Ron Paul. It was a good night for Democrats but some Republicans won key spots as well with a few of them being pro-online poker types.
While we’re not sure where Obama stands on the subject, Barney Frank has been vocal about his efforts and support of online poker. He was instrumental in pushing HR 6870, the Payments Systems Protection Act through the House Financial Services Committee. The bill clarified language in the UIGEA regarding payment processors like Neteller and was a small victory for online poker players.
Other wins of interest involved Congressman Pete Sessions, who’s a Republican, believe it or not. Hailing from Texas, a big gambling state, Sessions introduced HR 6663, which tried to carve out an exemption for poker in the UIGEA. Ron Paul was also a big winner, mainly because he was unopposed in his bid for re-election but regardless; he’s a great friend to the online poker community and will hopefully continue to push forward on our behalf.
Overall, it’s clear that these politicians have bigger hurdles to clear before they’re able to tackle the online gambling bits. Here’s to keeping our collective fingers crossed that once they figure out to stimulate the economy and end the war, that we see a win on our behalf soon as well.
