Online Gambling Bill Get Support From Rep. John Conyers, Jr.

Rep John Conyers, Jr. [MI-14] has joined the ranks of co-sponsors to bring Online gambling to the United States. Rep. Conyers is Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary and serves on these other (Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties).

To be sure, this is an important alliance for those who oppose the UIGEA. Congressman Conyers becomes the 49th co-sponsor to HR2267., and with Rep. Rep Paul D. Tonko, [NY-21] they bring to 30 the number of co-sponsors for HR2266, which is a bill designed to delay for one year, the implementation of rules set by the Bush administration on his last day of office. This bill may be moot if the markup for HR2267 is done and passes into law.

Be sure to thank your congressperson for their support and if they have not yet signed on to these to bills, please contact them often until they do.

Delaware Set For Football Season Gambling

With the start of the NFL season, the State of Delaware is going to have Las Vegas style Sports Books in their casinos. Residents of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware are anxiously awaiting the start and the casinos are gearing up for it rapidly.

There may be a small glitch in their efforts as the NFL has threatened to file suit to stop any such gambling on their precious sport, however, they tried in Delaware once before and lost so the end result may be only to delay it if in fact the NFL decides to challenge.

The will be no betting allowed on Delaware based teams, college or even semi-pro, minor league and such. Similar to how Las Vegas runs their sports books.

Casino officials are expecting a large turnout from as far away as New York and possibly West Virginia as the lure of gambling on football is universal.

New Jersey is currently enjoined in a lawsuit with IMEGA to void the law which the federal government put in place during the 1990's that allows sports betting in only 4 states, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, and Delaware.

Although Delaware is excited about this opportunity, it is doubtful they will have it all in place for pre-season, but they will be ready for the first regular season games on Sept. 10.

If the response is good, we might expect to see new casinos in areas such as Rehoboth Beach in the not too distant future. This would put a serious crimp in the Atlantic City casino business as the area is plentiful with tourists, has ample beach and nightlife, and is a short drive or ferry ride from South Jersey. Also, by this time next year, the current casinos fully expect to offer table games similar to those in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.