Let the barrage of online poker-related bills being introduced on Capitol Hill commence! On Thursday, one day after Senator Lindsey Graham introduced legislation to ban i-gamingin the US, Congressman Joe Barton (pictured) rolled out a bill to regulate internet poker.

The bill is numbered HR 2888, the Internet Poker Freedom Act. According to a press release from Barton’s office, HR 2888 restores “the rights of people to play the ‘all-American’ game, while at the same time protecting them from fraud. HR 2888 also mandates the implementation of technology that prohibits underage players, provides aid for problem gamblers, and preserves state’s rights.”

Barton trumpeted the bill’s player protections: “My bill is needed now more than ever. It creates one Federal standard that protects the integrity of the game and the financial interests of players – while protecting American consumers from nefarious and predatory overseas gambling operations. Players deserve to have a legal, on-shore system that makes sure everyone is playing in an honest, fair structure. The complex web of state and local regulations now being devised could leave players at risk.”

Leonard Lance(R-NJ) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) are the two initial cosponsors of Barton’s legislation. RAWA, which outlaws i-poker, is numbered S 1668 in the Senate and HR 707 in the House. The Senate version of RAWA is cosponsored by Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Dan Coats (R-IN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), andDianne Feinstein (D-CA).

Rubio and Graham (pictured) are both Republican Presidential candidates. Graham has never sent an email.

John Pappas, Executive Director of the Poker Players Alliance, explained the benefits of a Federal framework for online poker versus a state-by-state setup: “Congressman Barton’s bill is common sense public policy that would allow qualifying states to pool players together to create a more robust market that will drive consumer satisfaction as well as increase state revenues. A clear regulatory environment is in the best interest of all consumers, operators, regulators, and law enforcement.”

The Campaign for Liberty took a shot at the pair of Presidential hopefuls, saying, “It is shameful that Senators Graham, Rubio, and others would trade state sovereignty and internet freedom for possible campaign contributions. How are the American people supposed to believe the GOP will take America in a new direction if at the first chance, its Senators are selling out the American people for cash?”

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