PPA: Frank bill will not bar Stars, Tilt from licensing
Lobby group the Poker Players Alliance has supported PokerStars' view that Barney Frank's bill would not preclude US-facing poker operators being licensed.
Lobby group the Poker Players Alliance has supported PokerStars’ view that nothing in Barney Frank’s proposed bill to regulate egaming would preclude US-facing poker operators from being licensed.
“To be clear, despite the concerns of some of our members, nothing in the Committee-passed legislation precludes lawful Internet poker-only operators whom US players know and trust today from the opportunity to operate under a regulated system,” said the lobby group in a statement on Franks’ bill, which passed out of committee last week.
The PPA’s statement follows PokerStars calling HR 2267 “the most significant US legislative accomplishment in the history of the internet gaming industry”. It also said in its statement it would be supporting provisions in the bill aimed at disqualifying any site from being licensed which had knowingly violated US federal or state gambling laws, “as neither would adversely affect the availability of a license for a respected operator such as PokerStars.”
However, Brad Sherman, the author of the provision which would render unsuitable any applicant which fails to certify in writing that it has never committed an intentional felony violation of federal or state gambling laws, told the Las Vegas Sun: “Al Capone couldn’t get a liquor license if he’d stayed around to the end of Prohibition.”
With Frank’s bill as it stands apparently making it difficult for global poker market leaders PokerStars and FullTilt to obtain federal licenses, this is seen as strengthening the hand of Nevada casinos as potential benficiaries from US egaming regulation. US land-based casino groups endured a particularly torrid July in the US, with stock price falls greatest among those without Macau interests to offset this. Boyd Gaming, in favour of egaming regulation, saw its average daily stock price fall 22% during over the month, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Casino and property magnate Donald Trump has also announced his support for the regulation of egaming in the US. He told the New York Post: “Online gaming is going to happen, so we might as well have it work to the public’s advantage.”