While poker advocates are giddy at the hearings taking place in Congress, online casinos are finding themselves left out in the cold, as HR 2366, the “Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening of UIGEA Act of 2011” is not seeking to legalize online gaming, but simply carve out a niche for online poker.

The hearings will take place in the House Subcommittee for Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, a part of the Energy and Commerce Committee, of which the bill’s author, Joe Barton (R-TX) is a member. Barton is an avid poker player, and is apparently interested in separating games of skill from games of chance, clarifying what forms of gambling should be prohibited under UIGEA legislation.

Barton’s voting record has shown him to be pretty anti-online gaming, but it appears that the Congressman is willing to make an exception in the case of online poker –either that or he is very happy with the campaign contributions one can receive from groups like the Poker Players Alliance, iMEGA, the AGA, and FairPlay USA.

Even if the bill eventually passes, legalizing online poker, an online casino operating in the United States would still be in violation of UIGEA legislation –although it is possible that the bill could be amended (a number of times) throughout the process.

Tags: Advocates, Aga, Author Joe, Campaign Contributions, Commerce Committee, Congressman, Consumer Protection, Fairplay, Games Of Chance, House Subcommittee, Internet Gambling, Joe Barton, Niche, Online Casinos, Online Poker, Poker Online, Poker Player, poker players, Prohibition, Voting Record

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