Barney Frank introduced an anti-UIGEA bill HR 2267 in the 111th Congress. At the end of the two-year term of the 111th Congress, bill HR 2267 was removed from the rostrum. The House Committee on Financial Services has announced that a similar bill to HR 2267 has now been introduced into the 112th Congress.

HR 2267, The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act was introduced by Congressman, John Campbell (R-CA) and Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) was leading sponsor, along with Congressmen Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and Peter King (R-NY).

Campbell commented on the fact that UIGEA has not prevented Americans from gambling online. He stated: "Clearly Americans want to gamble on the Internet, and policy makers need to provide both the freedom to do so, as well as ensure that appropriate consumer protections are in place."

The anti-UIGEA bill calls for the regulation of online gambling, ensuring that licensed online casinos and poker rooms take suitable steps to prevent money laundering and fraud, as well as underage and compulsive gambling. This includes a long list of safeguards that need to be put into place, including no advertising targeted at underage or compulsive gamblers, the inability to make deposits at online casinos using credit cards, no sports betting and more.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has expressed their support of the anti-UIGEA bill in a statement that read "The time is now for Congress to step up and pass federal legislation, like the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, that allows the entire country to benefit."

Barney Frank said: "I'm pleased to be working with John Campbell as a co-sponsor of the bill. We worked together last year and I think this promises to be one of those unfortunately rare times when bipartisan activity can work."

HR 2267 was removed from the rostrum before it had enjoyed a discussion or a vote on the floor of the House - when its lead sponsor was chairman of the House of Financial Services Committee. The current chairman is Spencer Bachus, online gambling's most committed opponent. You can be sure that it will be a rocky road ahead for the new anti-UIGEA bill.