Leading American online gaming attorney believes ban could soon be lifted if Democrat candidate wins next month.
Monday 13th October 2008
One of America’s most prominent lawyers in the field of online gaming is optimistic that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) could soon be a thing of the past if Barack Obama wins the Presidential election next month.
Anthony Cabot, a Partner in Phoenix-based law firm Lewis and Roca, has been practicing for more than 27 years and was instrumental in the passage of legislation in the 1980s allowing for casinos to go after unpaid gambling debts. He is better known today for his work on Internet gaming but also had a hand in other prominent laws affecting Nevada's largest industry including one allowing for the foreign ownership of Las Vegas casinos.
In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Business Press, Cabot revealed that a web of problems currently face lawmakers in applying UIGEA, which was passed in 2006 and seeks to ban most online gaming by criminalizing the transfer of funds to or from virtual online gambling sites excluding horse racing.
'It's very hard for a bank to identify what is a legal or illegal transaction,' said Cabot.
However, with some recent polls showing Barack Obama with a six to seven point lead over his Republican opponent John McCain, Cabot believes that a victory for the Democrat could soon spell the end of UIGEA. Obama is supported by some of UIGEA’s biggest critics, including Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank.
'If McCain is elected, the Internet gaming ban would never be repealed,' said Cabot.
'I think if Senator Obama was elected, it would be more likely to be repealed.”
One of America’s most prominent lawyers in the field of online gaming is optimistic that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) could soon be a thing of the past if Barack Obama wins the Presidential election next month.
Anthony Cabot, a Partner in Phoenix-based law firm Lewis and Roca, has been practicing for more than 27 years and was instrumental in the passage of legislation in the 1980s allowing for casinos to go after unpaid gambling debts. He is better known today for his work on Internet gaming but also had a hand in other prominent laws affecting Nevada's largest industry including one allowing for the foreign ownership of Las Vegas casinos.
In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Business Press, Cabot revealed that a web of problems currently face lawmakers in applying UIGEA, which was passed in 2006 and seeks to ban most online gaming by criminalizing the transfer of funds to or from virtual online gambling sites excluding horse racing.
'It's very hard for a bank to identify what is a legal or illegal transaction,' said Cabot.
However, with some recent polls showing Barack Obama with a six to seven point lead over his Republican opponent John McCain, Cabot believes that a victory for the Democrat could soon spell the end of UIGEA. Obama is supported by some of UIGEA’s biggest critics, including Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank.
'If McCain is elected, the Internet gaming ban would never be repealed,' said Cabot.
'I think if Senator Obama was elected, it would be more likely to be repealed.”