My friend The Engineer is still trying to help get repealed the despicable anti-online gambling legislation that some unscrupulous Congress-swine sneaked through the system. This horrible legislation has harmed many skilled players and sports bettors, putting some out of business entirely. Copied below with permission is The Engineer’s post from BJ21.com Green Chip.
Please help us.
———————————————————————————————————
Several congressional leaders are working to place a moratorium on UIGEA! You can support this effort by writing to Congress. PPA has an auto-letter at www.pokerplayersalliance.org/letter that takes less than 60 seconds to send! Please take a moment and support these efforts. Thanks!
The PPA letter is tailored to poker, but you can edit it or replace it with a new one (and just use the site as a convenient mailer):
Here’s The Engineer’s edited House letter:
I am a constituent and voter asking for your support.
Specifically, I ask that you support H.R. 5767, recently introduced legislation that places a moratorium on the enactment of the badly flawed Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). With UIGEA regulations now pending, the debate on these issues has reached a tipping point, and new voices are emerging against UIGEA every day. As regulations to implement UIGEA come close to their effective date, our nation’s financial institutions are warning the Congress that these regulations are unworkable. At the April 2, 2008 Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology hearing on the impact of UIGEA on our nation’s financial services industry, even the authors of the UIGEA regulations testified that they have struggled with the ambiguity of the UIGEA statute.
Louise Roseman of the Federal Reserve testified that it will be very difficult to enforce the law “without a more bright line on what is included as unlawful Internet gambling”. Even if this “bright line” were defined, however, she stated that payment systems are not designed to perform this type of function. Representatives from the American Bankers Association, the Credit Union National Association, the Financial Services Roundtable and Wells Fargo fully concurred with this assessment. Dozens of other banks have submitted similar comments to the Federal Reserve and to the Treasury Department. The principal comment of the American Bankers Association is a concise summary: “We maintain that the UIGEA is a fundamentally flawed response to those challenges.”
I encourage you to cosponsor H.R. 5767. Banks should be responsible for managing their deposits and their loan portfolios, not for policing the behaviors of Americans in their own homes.
I also encourage you to support HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. HR 2046 regulates online gaming via stringent licensing regulations. It has rigorous safeguards against underage and compulsive gambling.
These safeguards will work – the June 8, 2007 House Financial Services Committee hearing on Internet gaming proved conclusively that Internet gaming can be effectively regulated. Note that HR 2046 does not force any state to permit online gaming, as states can opt out if they wish.
One thing the 2008 Subcommittee hearing made completely clear is that Congress needs to define “unlawful Internet gambling” before it can expect financial institutions to have any chance at effectively enforcing any ban on such activity. The idea that the federal government cannot define this concept, yet expects banks to perform this law enforcement function, is ludicrous.
What’s most important to me is your support for my rights. Please respond to this letter and let me know if you will support my freedoms. I will be watching your actions on this issue closely.
Thank you for your consideration.
Here’s The Engineer’s Senate version:
I am a constituent and voter asking for your support.
Specifically, I ask that you sponsor and support legislation in the Senate to repeal the badly flawed Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). With UIGEA regulations now pending, the debate on these issues has reached a tipping point, and new voices are emerging against UIGEA every day. As regulations to implement UIGEA come close to their effective date, our nation’s financial institutions are warning the Congress that these regulations are unworkable. At the April 2, 2008 Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology hearing on the impact of UIGEA on our nation’s financial services industry, even the authors of the UIGEA regulations testified that they have struggled with the ambiguity of the UIGEA statute.
Louise Roseman of the Federal Reserve testified that it will be very difficult to enforce the law “without a more bright line on what is included as unlawful Internet gambling”. Even if this “bright line” were defined, however, she stated that payment systems are not designed to perform this type of function. Representatives from the American Bankers Association, the Credit Union National Association, the Financial Services Roundtable and Wells Fargo fully concurred with this assessment. Dozens of other banks have submitted similar comments to the Federal Reserve and to the Treasury Department. The principal comment of the American Bankers Association is a concise summary: “We maintain that the UIGEA is a fundamentally flawed response to those challenges.”
I encourage you to introduce companion legislation to the recently introduced House bill, H.R. 5767, which places a moratorium on the badly flawed UIGEA regulations. Banks should be responsible for managing their deposits and their loan portfolios, not for policing the behaviors of Americans in their own homes.
I also encourage you to sponsor and support Senate companion legislation to HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. HR 2046 regulates online gaming via stringent licensing regulations. It has rigorous safeguards against underage and compulsive gambling.
These safeguards will work – the June 8, 2007 House Financial Services Committee hearing on Internet gaming proved conclusively that Internet gaming can be effectively regulated. Note that HR 2046 does not force any state to permit online gaming, as states can opt out if they wish.
One thing the 2008 Subcommittee hearing made completely clear is that Congress needs to define “unlawful Internet gambling” before it can expect financial institutions to have any chance at effectively enforcing any ban on such activity. The idea that the federal government cannot define this concept, yet expects banks to perform this law enforcement function, is ludicrous.
What’s most important to me is your support for my rights. Please respond to this letter and let me know if you will support my freedoms. I will be watching your actions on this issue closely.
Thank you for your consideration.
————————————————————————————–
OR go to www.house.gov and www.senate.gov to send letters directly to Congress.
