AGA Issues Statement in Support of Legalized Online Poker
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has issued a statement in support of legalized and regulated online poker gaming in the US.
Last week, an AGA subcommittee hearing was held with Representative Mary Bono Mack as the chairperson. A witness panel comprising Alfonse D’Amato, the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA); Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling; and Ernest L. Stevens, the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, gave their testimonies on the subject of whether online poker has a safe bet. It was concluded that a safe bet is available provided online poker is legalized and regulated in the US and that the current gambling laws have failed to protect online gamblers, gambling addicts, as well as minors from unscrupulous offshore gambling companies.
The subcommittee, which intended to discuss online gambling, somehow ended up focusing on online poker, as a result of which its statement deals with the legalization of online poker alone. Making a comparative study of poker and other games of chance, Frank J. Fahrenkopf, the CEO and president of AGA, said that poker is a historic game in America, which has always enjoyed a great deal of popularity and that poker jargon has found its way in daily speech patterns. He further stated that poker is a social game played against real players unlike other games of chance that are played against the house.
Revealing its opinions of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) 2006, the AGA stated that it does not stop people from playing online poker because there will always be online poker sites offering real money poker services to US players. The AGA suggests that the UIGEA should be strengthened and new laws should be made to protect the interests of online poker players and eliminate the risks of gambling at offshore online poker sites. The AGA is also of the opinion that the online poker industry in the US, if regulated and licensed, will generate tens of thousands of jobs and generate billions in tax revenue.
Although the AGA is not supporting any particular bill, it suggests that states should be given the freedom to decide whether or not to legalize online poker, the federal government should provide guidelines to states, and law enforcement agencies in the US should be empowered to take strict action against those who violate US gambling laws.
The AGA also suggests that US-licensed online poker rooms must adhere to the industry standards that land-based casinos in the US already stick to. Since it has already been proven that the laws and regulations governing land-based casinos in the US are the best, the same should apply to online casinos too so that US players can rest assured that they are playing in a safe, secure, and regulated online gaming atmosphere.
The AGA has not always been an advocate of online poker, but has now changed its mind and believes that technology can be used to protect minors and gambling addicts, preventing them from logging into their accounts.
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