US House Panel to Rexamine Internet Gambling Ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A US House of Representatives panel announced on Monday it will hold an inquiry on Friday to re-examine online gambling, which has effectively been prohibited in the country thanks
Barney Frank has introduced legislation to limit the effects of the online gambling ban.  to the introduction of 2006's Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

The hearing will asses whether Internet gambling can be monitored to protect the interests of consumers while simultaneously protecting the payments system, House Financial Services Committee stated.

Committee Chairman Barney Frank introduced a bill in April that would revoke an effective ban on online gambling, in opposition to the UIGEA's implementation by Congress in late 2006.

The Massachusetts Democrat said the ban was 'imprudently adopted' and the activity is 'a matter of individual freedom.'

The UIGEA makes it illegal for banking facilities to accept money transfers to and from online gambling sites, putting and end to the US arm of major online gambling firms such as PartyGaming.