From Poker News – Congressman Joe Barton (R-Tex.) said Tuesday that he believes once more populous states get involved in Internet poker, it will lead to legislation at the federal level within the next few years.
Participating in a conference call hosted by the Poker Players Alliance, Barton, who introduced the Internet Poker Freedom Act of 2013 last week, indicated that he didn’t believe there will ever be a point where enough states pursue regulation to make a federal bill unnecessary.
Instead, he sees the spreading of online poker on a state-by-state basis igniting more and more people to join the fight for their right to play and to have a federal standard that establishes a central set of rules and regulations.
“As people see how well and fair it is in states that allow it, they are going to demand through their congressmen and senators to have it in their states,” Barton said. “I can’t say when that general mass will occur, but I can say it will occur and that it won’t be 20 years from now. It will be, if not next year, the year after or soon after that.”
Barton reiterated that he will release a group of bipartisan co-sponsors for his legislation in the next couple of weeks. Barton introduced similar legislation in 2011, which led to a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee of which Barton is a member. Barton said he will be working committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) to get another hearing on the new legislation but does not have any promises.
“I don’t think this policy of ‘Just Say No’ is going to last much longer,” Barton said. “Once neutral congressmen or senators who may not have interest one way or another see what’s happening intrastate, I think it has a good chance to pass and become law.”
