In the United States we have, in a way, created a sport of sorts in criticizing our government. Whether it is that we do not want to be in Iraq, or that we want healthcare for every citizen or that we want to smoke or gamble, we all sit by and wait until after the fact, and then complain, bitch and moan about the government. The fact is that in this country, as well as most of the free world, ordinary citizens can affect change.

Right now one of the top stories lighting up conversations throughout our offices is the Olympic torch relay and what has happened throughout its route. On Monday, in France, the torch relay was stopped and in the US just two days ago, the tour and celebration through San Francisco was changed to a short jaunt and escape to prevent some of the scenes seen throughout the globe. Why? Because people stood up for a cause that they believed in and got vocal. Thousands of protestors line the streets wherever the Olympic torch is scheduled to run to protest China’s human rights violations in Tibet. Thousands have been lined up along every stop in the route.

We hear from players everyday who cannot understand the US prohibitionist approach to Internet gambling. We hear, “Why are we paying other countries millions of dollars to keep them from offering gambling services to US customers? Why do we want to violate international treaty? Why are we wasting time setting regulations for an unenforceable law that will not achieve the desired effect?” Yet, most of these concerned cizitens have not acted; they sit by and complain about the policies in the US, without doing anything within their rights to change the US opinion of Internet gambling.

As we reported last week, the hearings in the House of Representatives on the UIGEA, were a shoddy representation of the American government at work. More unbelievable was the announcement that the government had ‘over 200 responses’ to their inquiry for public input on the proposed regulations of the UIGEA. More than 200 responses – wow! Is that it? Is that all that the Internet gambling community can muster? Is this just another law that will be put into motion as Americans sit idly by and wait to complain?

The most positive things that came out of last week’s hearing were additional support for current bills regarding Internet gambling and the fact that a dialog to repeal the UIGEA is still ongoing. Within 48 hours of the conclusion of the hearings Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D NY-8th) signed on as a co-sponsor for H.R.2046, Barney Frank’s bill to licensing of Internet gambling. Just yesterday, Rep. Eliot Engel (DEM-NY-17) and Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D CO-7th) signed on as co-sponsors for H.R.2140, Shelly Berkley’s bill to study Internet gambling and identify the proper response of the United States to it’s growth.

Barney Frank had come out shortly after introducing his legislation by saying that he would wait for additional support for his bill. He is slowly getting it with 49 total co-sponsors. H.R. 2140 currently has 71 representatives approval and Robert Wekler’s Poker bill has 22 co-sponsors. All of these bills have one thing in common – 4 Republicans. Ironically, not the same ones for each bill!!

The Republican support breakdown counts Don Young (R Alaska) as a supporter of both Frank and Wexler. Peter King (R NY-3rd) and Vito
Fossella (R NY-13^th) support only Frank along with Texas Presidential candidate Ron Paul (R 14th). Connie Mack (R FL-14th), Jon Porter (R NV-3rd) and Pete Sessions (R TX-32nd) support Wexler’s bill. Rep. Sessions also supports Berkely’s study bill as do Nevada Representatives Dean Heller (R 2nd) and Jon Porter (R 3rd). Frank LoBiondo (R NJ-2nd) also supports the study bill.

The House is made up of 199 Republicans and 238 Democrats. Needless to say, with less than 5% of Republicans giving their support to any one of the current gambling legislations initiatives in the House, more pressure needs to be put on your Republican Representatives.

Below is a list of Representatives who voted against the predecessor to the UIGEA. These public servants are quite sympathetic to the cause of freedoms on the Internet, but have yet to co-sponsor any of the aforementioned bills. We urge you to use the tools we have in place to ask for these elected officials’ support.

Finally, keep in mind, that the President certainly has final say and an enormous
amount of influence on every issue in this country, but it is the Congress that makes the laws. Click here to find out where your representatives stand on this issue. If you so choose, you do not have to single yourself out as a gambler to your Representative. But, at the very least, you should vote this November using all of the issues presented to make your choice.

If the public can stop something as symbolic and iconic as the Olympic torch, we certainly should be able to repeal the UIGEA and make Internet gambling legal and licensed in the US.