Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee today proposed the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, a bill that intends to replace the Internet gambling prohibition instituted last year with strict regulations and policing of violators. Those regulations include deep criminal background checks and financial disclosure for companies looking to offer Internet gambling services.
This bill comes 6 months after the controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was passed into law. The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act received a lot of criticism for infringing on American freedoms and is equated with censorship.
In a quote from CNet’s News.com article, Barney Frank dissented upon the current law, saying:
The existing legislation is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans and this interference should be undone
Furthermore Frank points out that since almost all states have legalized some form of gambling that we should hold the same precedent to their online counterparts.
Just when we thought we are overdosed with reality shows, MySpace and Mark Burnett announced that they are teaming up to launch INDEPENDENT, a groundbreaking political reality show. The show will find the nation’s next great politician through an online, offline, on-air multimedia campaign expected to launch in early 2008.