Nevada lawmakers Harry Reid and John Kyl have removed language penalizing poker players who deposit in unlicensed sites from the latest draft of their online poker bill.
The unpopular provision, which stated:
To deter U.S. players from patronizing illegal sites, the bill makes explicit that any property involved in or traceable to a gambling transaction in violation of the new act (including winnings) is subject to forfeiture.
Online Poker lobbying groups, like the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) were vehemently opposed to player penalties and that was enough kill the provision.
This latest draft also contains language limiting online poker licenses to companies that have owned land-based casinos for at least 180 days before the act is passed. This gives a serious competitive edge to big, established gaming companies.
Despite some fairly tepid support from House Republicans, it’s likely that the bill will be introduced in the upcoming lame duck session of Congress in November.
(To read a full version of the bill, check out this .pdf posted by QuadJacks.com)
What do you think of the latest version of the online poker bill? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.