Rep. Joe Barton’s proposed bill, H.R. 2666 or the Internet Poker Freedom Act of 2013, was reviewed last Tuesday at a subcommittee hearing and has earned a certain level of respect amongst representative. The legalization and regulation of online poker is a out on the table and will be analyzed and debated acccordingly in the US senate.
The first steps are now underway, with subcommittee hearings giving way to open panel discussions and the participation of such high profile pro-internet-gaming experts as Geoff Freeman of the American Gaming Association and John Pappas of the Poker Players Alliance. Both men were very convincing in their arguments.
It may be naive to hope that H.R. 2666 will find acceptance amongst the majority of lawmakers but the odds have definitely improved after the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing, dubbed “The State of Online Gaming”.
Rep. Barton has admitted that his bill is far from being perfect but at least it represents a stepping stone in the right direction and is garnering enough recognition to maybe propell it or similar bills towards the goal of finally having regulated online poker at federal level.