It's an All-american game. Up the ante!
Joe Barton ups the ante in push for online-poker bill
Posted Saturday, Jul. 14, 2012 Updated Saturday, Jul. 14, 2012 4 Comments Print Reprints
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Tags: U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, all Americans, President Pro Tem By Anna M. Tinsley Fort Worth Star-Telegram ArticlePhotos
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton generally knows when to hold 'em -- and when to fold 'em.
Now, he said, is not the time to walk away from his bill to legalize online poker.
It may even be time to go all in.
"Internet poker isn't a crime," said Barton, R-Ennis, whose district includes parts of Tarrant County. "It is a game of skill, and it shouldn't be outlawed."
With the days waning in the congressional session, Barton said he's talking to colleagues, hoping to pass a bill legalizing the estimated $6 billion online poker industry by creating interstate licensing.
"This is admittedly not the most pressing issue for our country, and it doesn't take priority over current economic issues," said Barton, who occasionally plays poker online for free and at casinos for money. "However, I still believe that it needs to be addressed."
Barton's proposal has drawn three dozen co-sponsors, including Democratic Reps. Shelley Berkley of Nevada and Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Republican Reps. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson and Peter King of New York. The measure has drawn support in the poker-playing industry.
"Most lawmakers recognize the status quo isn't sustainable," said John Pappas, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Poker Players Alliance. "We can continue to bury our heads in the sand and hope that Internet poker will go away, but it won't."
Critics of Barton's bill remain staunch.
"We think it's bad," said Rob Kohler, a consultant with the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, which opposes expanding gambling. "We are not going to sit on our hands and just watch. We don't think this is good public policy."
'All-American game'
People already play poker online. But most use offshore websites not subject to U.S. laws, so winnings can't be taxed and games can't be regulated to ensure fairness.
"They are playing on sites ... that may or may not have their best interests at heart," Pappas said. "We would like for American players to play on American sites."
Barton said his bill would have the Commerce Department license states for Internet poker. He said that would protect players' and states' rights -- and give participating states a share of any revenue.
Under his proposal, state officials would decide whether to allow online poker. If they did, they would have to be able to provide fair games, screen out underage players, block players from nonparticipating states, prevent money laundering, ensure tax collection and more.
Participating states would also have to develop a compulsive-gambling program and would not be allowed to accept Internet bets on sporting events or games other than poker.
So-called poker parlors would be forbidden, and cheating at Internet poker and creating or distributing cheating devices would be crimes.
"I'm not alone in my love for poker," Barton said. "Millions of our friends and neighbors log on to play every day. Poker is the all-American game; in fact, I learned to play in the Boy Scouts."
The Wire Act
If Congress doesn't weigh in on the issue, it may soon be out of federal lawmakers' hands, Pappas said.
Some states are already creating their own rules after a Justice Department ruling last year.
The ruling addressed the Wire Act of 1961, which restricts betting over telecommunications systems that cross state or national borders.
In a departure from previous rulings, the department said the act applies only to sports betting. The ruling was prompted by New York and Illinois officials who wanted to know whether the act prevented their states from selling lottery tickets online.
Delaware recently became the first state to sign on to legal online casino gambling when the governor approved a law allowing websites that offer slot machines, blackjack, roulette and poker. Delaware lottery tickets will also be sold online.
"We can help protect the jobs and this revenue source for our state," Delaware Senate President Pro Tem Anthony DeLuca said. "We can keep Delaware at the forefront of developing new and better gambling options."
Supporters say Barton's bill would create one federal standard that would protect players, their money and the game.
"For those concerned about the expansion of gambling, Mr. Barton's bill would be a way of curbing that expansion," Pappas said. "The question isn't 'Do you support or oppose Internet poker?' but 'Do you support or oppose regulated Internet poker?'"
The last House hearings on the topic were last year. If the measure doesn't pass this year, Barton said, he will refile it next year.
'Dead wrong'
While some say legalizing online poker in the United States could be a boon for the government, generating new tax dollars, others disagree.
They believe that Barton's bill would open the door to too many unknowns -- including whether players are old enough to play or can afford to gamble.
"To bring that type of enterprise into homes, where it's impossible to know who is on the other end of the computer ... is wrong," Kohler said. "And the argument that somehow or other that it's a game of skill and involves no chance, we think that's flat-out wrong."
"It's one thing if a congressman from Massachusetts does this," he said. "But for a congressman from Texas to be advocating this as good business, that's just dead wrong."
Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610
