To me, it’s comforting to know that there are a variety of organizations out there fighting for the rights of online poker players. Take the Poker Players Alliance, for example, which has grown from 50,000 members to one million in less than two years. The Remote Gambling Association is fighting on the front lines in Europe through the World Trade Organization in order to nullify the effects of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Let’s not forget the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association, or iMEGA, which is suing the Federal Government to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional. This week, the PocketFives.com Podcast welcomes Jeff Sandman, spokesperson for another vital organization, the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. We’ll learn about the Initiative and its views on what’s going on in Congress.

According to its website, www.safeandsecureig.org, the Initiative “promotes the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. Additionally, the Initiative is a resource for information about legislation to regulate Internet Gambling and provides individuals, organizations and companies the opportunity to support the legislation and engage their elected officials.”

It’s endorsed by organizations you’ve heard of: the Remote Gambling Association, eCOGRA, and the European Gaming and Betting Association. Sandman comments, “We’re delighted that there are a number of wonderful endorsers and sponsors of the Initiative. They are important to any of us who gamble online or who want to gamble online. They have the experience of providing safeguards against underage gambling and compulsive gambling [and] make sure that the person whose credit card is being used is actually the person gambling.” In that respect, the Initiative’s endorsers seek to protect against the reasons the UIGEA was passed back in 2006.

2008 has been a busy year for online poker. Barney Frank and Ron Paul have introduced HR 5767, which would essentially end any ill-effects from the UIGEA. The momentum surrounding an RGA complaint with the World Trade Organization has picked up. iMEGA has been granted standing. All signs point to a showdown in Congress sometime in the near future, with the future of the internet gambling industry in the United States at stake. Sandman comments on his 2008 outlook: “There will be more progress in Congress to advance the legislation. I’m optimistic that there will be further developments to decriminalize and legalize internet gambling. Whether it happens this year or next year, I’m a bit uncertain. The election year has made the Congressional calendar shorter. However, I think that there will be further developments in the House and hopefully in the Senate.”

You might be asking yourself where the Initiative stands on the various pro-gambling bills in Congress. Sandman enlightens you: “We support Americans’ rights to have the freedom to gamble online in a regulated environment. Right now, everything is off-shore. That means that we’re not sure exactly how our dollars are being treated. It’s very different than buying something at Amazon.com. The current law prohibits companies from processing these transactions. The initiative is urging strong support for Barney Frank’s bill because it would allow gambling online and would resolve a significant WTO dispute. It’s also receiving some strong bipartisan support.” Frank’s HR 2046 currently has 48 co-sponsors.

Finally, the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative is aptly focused on finding ways to prevent money laundering and fraud online, two dangers of conducting business in a virtual environment. Sandman focuses on technology as the means of prevention: “What I have seen and been told is that the very sophisticated gambling sites have a variety of mechanisms involved that are being used with tremendous success to decrease fraudulent activities online. Also, they make sure people’s identities are much more secure. The technology is there and, as we’ve seen, there’s always room for improvement. Right now, if there were legalized online gambling in the United States, I feel comfortable that there would be enough safeguards in place.”

Make sure to visit the Initiative’s website at http://www.safeandsecureig.org and check out Jeff Sandman on this week’s edition of the PocketFives.com Podcast.