Barack Obama vs Online Poker
Barack Obama has won the US Presidential election that will see him take office in January 2009. The majority of the online poker community is rejoicing over the outcome, though it is still unclear what his actions, if any, will be regarding the legalities of online poker in the United States. It is the responsibility of the House of Representatives and the Senate to introduce new bills and work diligently to push them through congress, but it will be President-elect Barack Obama who gets the final say. Last night’s election came out in the favor of online poker advocates in this regards as well. Congressman Barney Frank – the leading proponent of legalizing, regulating and taxing the online gambling industry in the United States, won by a landslide with 68% of the vote versus his Republican opponent Earl Sholley, who received only 25%. Just before the end of the 2008 congressional Session, the second revision of Barney Frank‘s bill, HR 6870 – the Payment Systems Protection Act – finally made its way past the House Financial Services Committee. HR 6870 seeks to clarify the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 that was unscrupulously attached to an unrelated Port Security bill and dubiously passed in the wee hours of night by President Bush. 
Now that America has a new president – things might change! While the future is still speculative at best, the future of legal online poker in the United States is certainly brighter than it has been in the past two years.