Legislation was introduced last week by Senator Robert Menedez (D-NJ) that if passed would legally define poker as a skill game. This would create a regulatory environment for the game of poker to be offered online in the United States. Since the passing of the UIGEA, this is the first bill concerning online gambling to be introduced to the Senate. Other legislation similar to this bill has been presented to the House of Representatives.

The bill is called “Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act” and it will have the United States Treasury Department to set up a licensing framework for games that use “simulated cards, dice, or tiles in which success is predominantly determined by the skill of the players.”
The list of games to be included is “poker, bridge and mahjong”. Permitted bets as wagers are defined in the bill as “made with respect to the outcome of an Internet skill game that is a non-housed bank game”.

Under this legislation, operators would be licensed for one year and have to pay a licensing fee as well as renew their license on an annual basis. Native American Tribes and individual states have the right to “opt out” of the legislation and prohibit Internet gambling within their borders.

“Reasonable” measures are also to be taken under the bill to ensure:

--People under the age of 18 are not allowed to gamble.
--Operators only accept bets from jurisdictions in which it's legal.
--Operators pay taxes.
--Money laundering laws are obeyed.
--Privacy laws are followed.
--Programs for "social problems" are in place.

It would also be legal to invest in licensed operators and it prohibits operators from offering sports bets. The Senate Banking Committee has been assigned the bill and if it is not taken up before the current session adjourns then it will be reintroduced in 2009.


- 2008-10-02