Internet Poker Rooms, Cheap First Run Movies & Free Music
Many of the attendees of the Global Gaming Expo that just concluded in Las Vegas came away with some hope that Internet gaming and online poker rooms in particular will soon become legally available to players in the US. Terry Lanni, CEO and Chairman of MGM Mirage, told a panel on Wednesday that his organization is prepared and capable to enter the Internet gaming market when it becomes legal here. Both Lanni and Gary Loveman, Harrah's Entertainment Chairman, were in agreement that online poker rooms will be approved first and expect legalization to happen sometimes within the next one to two years.
The two gaming industry giants were joined in the panel discussion by former New York
Senator Alfonse D'Amato, now Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, in their positive outlook for Internet poker in the US. Many industry insiders believe legalization of online poker is rapidly approaching.
One of the major opponents of Internet gambling Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-VA, suggest nothing be done to interfere with his anti-gaming legislation passed by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in latge 2006. Goodlatte was quoted as saying, "The most important thing right now is to let the new law take effect, then if questions arrive later, let's then have a study." This appears to be the inverse order of logical events for new laws that will affect the rights of millions of US citizens.
The study should have been conducted before the bill was proposed or voted on. Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-MI, is concerned about the viability of a US gambling ban on a system that connects gamers on a world scale. This comment is probably in response to the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the US violated international trade rules and could be forced to pay $100 billion to the other WTO trading partners.
WTO expert and law professor at New York University, Joseph Weiler, believes the impact of the US handling of the WTO trade sanctions could lead to other countries violating trade agreements and disregarding international trade rules. In reality, we may not be able to play poker online; but, we'll have plenty of cheap black market movie titles to chose from and almost free music if the WTO is damaged by the US actions to the Internet gaming sanctions.
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