Following the recent introduction of a bill that calls for the potential legalization of internet gambling by Congressman Barney Frank, another US Representative has put forth a bill relating to the online gambling issue.

The bill has been put forth by Nevada Representative Shelley Berkley, a co-sponsor and supporter of Franks bill (The Internet Gambling Regulation & Enforcement Act 2007).  Unlike Frank’s bill, Berkley’s bill does not take a side on the issue, it simply proposes the idea of a one year study into online gambling, which would be executed by the National Academy of Sciences.   

Berkley’s bill was introduced to the House of Representatives last Thursday.  She has a lot of support as 60 other representatives have co-sponsored her bill, including Congressman Frank.   

The bill asks for the NAS to examine a number of a key issues regarding online gambling. This would in part include assessing: 1) the impact of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act, 2) the technologies and practices of the countries who currently regulate and license Internet gambling activities, 3) the impact of internet gambling on compulsive gamblers and minors and 4) the increase of Internet gambling and it’s availability in the United States.

In 2006 the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has caused quite a stir in the world of online gaming in the US.  But with the support of Frank, Berkley and other US representatives, such as Bob Wexler who is said to be currently working on a bill that would exempt online poker from the UIGEA ban, we may see that multi billion dollar online gambling industry will once again thrive in the United States, as it currently does in many countries around the world.