INFLUENTIAL SUPPORT FOR A DELAYED UIGEA (Update)
27 November 2009
Last ditch attempts to postpone the mandatory
implementation of UIGEA regs
Last ditch attempts to persuade federal officials to
postpone the UIGEA regulations continued this week.
December 1st 2009 is U-day; the implementation date
of the regulations supporting the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Enforcement Act compelling US financial
institutions to block financial transactions with
imprecisely defined 'illegal' online gambling operators.
Among others, including Congressman Barney Frank,
the Poker Players Alliance has been active in
petitioning for the postponement of the regulations for
a year in order to create an environment for debate and
to avoid over-blocking by confused and busy financial
institutions burdened with enforcing the federal law.
The PPA has some unlikely allies in its
initiative in the form of National Thoroughbred Racing
Association and the American Greyhound Track Operators
Association, and on Monday six influential Kentucky
Congressmen added their weight to the request.
Republicans Geoff Davis, Harold Rogers, Edward Whitfield
and Brett Guthrie, and Democrats Ben Chandler and John
Yarmuth submitted a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner to support pushing the December 1
deadline back a year.
The letter cites a
specific example of the law being misapplied - a case
where MasterCard had stopped processing transactions
with the code used by the U.S. horse racing industry in
preparation for UIGEA's enforcement, despite horse
racing receiving an exemption in the legislation.
"This letter cites a specific incident where
overblocking occurred, so I think that could be
particularly powerful with the Treasury and Federal
Reserve Board," said PPA executive director John Pappas.
"But I think the letters from others will carry just as
much weight."
Fighting the requests for
postponement are arch online gambling detractors
Representative Spencer Bachus and Senator Jon Kyl, both
of whom have written to the federal officials protesting
at any attempt to postpone the implementation of the
regulations.
Online Casino News Courtesy of
Infopowa
More news here.
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