After looking like a sure bet after its passage, the laws in the District of Columbia that would open up internet gaming and online poker in the backyard of the Federal Government have come under fire and may, in fact, be rescinded before any online operations come to fruition.Reports in both the Washington Post and Washington Times over the past week have discussed how members of the D.C. City Council are looking to repeal the passage of online poker. According to the Times, the “odds are slim” that online gambling will begin this year in the District, while the Post takes a different tack, stating that the Council is “divided” on how or whether to be the first territory in the United States to offer online gambling and poker.
At issue with some of the members of the D.C. City Council is how the language that authorized online gambling and poker was pushed through the committee. Back in 2010, council member Michael Brown, a proponent of the online gaming push, inserted language into a supplemental budget bill authorizing online gaming and poker that passed through the City Council.
After Congress, which has to approve legislation by the D.C. City Council, failed to act on that part of the supplemental budget bill, it was thought that the District would become the first “legal” intrastate online gaming outlet in the U.S.
It was only after other council members began to examine the new law on online gaming, as well as some of the contracts that were signed with Greek gaming provider Intralot, that the arguments between the politicians began. That contract with Intralot, which is estimated to be worth $39 million, has brought accusations from some members of the Council. These center on the allegation that D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi circumvented the Council by making the deal.The ongoing debate with the D.C. City Council has seemingly split the panel as to whether the District can or should offer online gaming and poker to its citizens. Although the law appears to have several security measures, including ISP and GPS recognition to make sure that players are inside the District, and is definitely far from high-stakes (players would have to be 19 and could only wager up to $250 per week), some members of the Council have come out opposing the activation of online gaming to the point of introducing legislation to repeal the previously passed law.
Tommy Wells, a Democrat representing Ward 6 of the District of Columbia, has introduced a bill that repeals the online gaming law that was passed; several members of the Council and the city’s government are pushing for its passage. Jack Evans, the Democratic Ward 2 councilman who chairs the D.C. Council Committee on Finance and Revenue, stated to the Times that he would push any legislation repealing online gaming through to the full Council, while at-large council member David Catania has said he would support the defeat of online gaming.
“Given where we are now, should we go back and revisit it or not? That’s what I’ll decide,” Evans is quoted by the Post as saying. He added, “There’s no rush to get this (online gaming) done.”
Catania went as far as saying to the Post, “I’m pretty sure we can throw a monkey wrench into this.” Others supporting the repeal of online gaming include council members Phil Mendelson and Kwame Brown, while Muriel Bowser has stated she is “uncomfortable” with the prospect of online gaming, but wonders where the money that could be made through it (estimated to be up to $13 million over four years) could be made up. Supporters of online gaming in D.C. include council members Marion Barry, Yvette Alexander, and Brown.With the turmoil over the online gaming question in the District of Columbia, proponents of online poker now look to Nevada, which has enacted regulation of online poker and has already begun looking at potential operators. The proposed intrastate system could be activated in the desert state before the end of the year, according to a statement by the Post as well as a previous feature article here on PocketFives.
Canada
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Australia
Mexico
Denmark
Russian Federation
Sweden
Brazil
Germany
