The Native American tribes and nations are large operators of casinos in America. They enjoy a certain amount of sovereignty which allows them to operate casinos, but still pay taxes and fees to the states. They would also be some of the first to benefit from online gambling. Tribal Chairwoman of the Mohegan Tribe, Lynn Malerba testified at the committee hearings and thanked Chairman Frank and his committee for showing respect “…for tribal sovereignty by actively seeking the input of tribes.” All Native American organizations wish to ensure that they are treated fairly should the Congress pass a bill legalizing online gambling. Continuing the committee’s thoughts on fairness, Frank’s bill accounted for state’s rights. His legislation would allow each state to decide for itself on whether or not to allow online gambling.

The Committee also heard from professional poker player, Annie Duke. She was there to represent the Poker Players’ Alliance. The PPA is the leading gambling rights activist group. They have watched the development of this bill from its inception, and have stood by the legalization of online gambling. Ms. Duke advocated for the rights of the American people to decide what is right for them. “This Committee and this Congress should not tolerate laws that seek to prevent responsible adults from playing a game we find stimulating, challenging and entertaining.” She hammered home her point by saying, “However you might feel about gambling on the Internet, I would suggest that gambling with freedom is far more risky.”

Of course, there was testimonies from the financial side of online gambling. Congress is very concerned about the pitfalls of so much money being passed around over the internet. Currently, financial institutions can not allow transactions between Americans and online gambling sites. They have contended that this is extremely difficult to regulate under the UIGEA. Ed Williams is a member of the Board of Directors for the Credit Union National Association. He testified that legalizing online gambling would help his institutions while still complying with parts of the UIGEA.

Tags: casino, gambling, online