My reply from Sen.Jay Rockefeller

I write to my Congressmen on a regular basis,informing them my opinion on various subjects.I thought I would share my recent reply from Sen.Rockefeller since it concerns all poker players.Feel free to write him yourself,no matter where you are from since he is a senior member of the Finance Comittee.


Dear xxxx,

Thank you for contacting me regarding online gambling. It is always good to hear from a fellow West Virginian, and I appreciate this opportunity to be in touch.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was included as part of the Port Security Improvement Act of 2006, and was signed into law on October 13, 2006. UIGEA restricts the handling of payments by U.S. financial institutions for unlawful forms of Internet gambling.

In August 2009, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey introduced the Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act (S. 1597). This legislation provides licensing, regulatory, and taxation frameworks for establishing an online gaming industry in the United States. At the same time, it maintains prohibitions against sports betting, and seeks to enhance the enforcement of regulations against illegal Internet gambling. This legislation would require the Secretary of the Treasury to oversee the licensing process, which would include a financial background check of each applicant and a plan for how each licensee will combat underage gambling and gambling addictions. S. 1597 has one cosponsor and is pending in the Senate Committee on Finance, of which I am a senior member. I am closely considering the details of this legislation and appreciate your input.

You may also be interested to know that similar legislation, H.R. 2267, was recently reported out of the House Committee on Financial Services by a vote of 41-22. However, this legislation has not gone before the full House for a vote.

Thank you again for being in touch. I wish you the best.


With Warm Regards,

Jay Rockefeller

I never have understood what Poker has to do with the "Port Security Improvement Act" ... every piece of legislation should stand on its own merits and not be attached to any other legislation. Wally

So did you get any information out of that e-mail, I didn't.

Yea, "politics as usual" ... I always get very similar results from my Congressman and Senator so I have given up even writing. They never see it cause one of the staff writes replies to such correspondence and usually a "form letter" such as this.

Another tree, needlessly slaughtered.

Email kills trees??