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Written by Stefan | Thursday, April 30th, 2009
After many years of opposing online gaming in many ways, the Christian Coalition, and such other religious organisations were positive about and elated with the UIGEA - Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. They supported the members of Congress who pushed until the act came through. Now that the time is approaching for Rep. Barney Frank to finally introduce his pro-gaming legislation, the NFL - National Football League appears to be the next gaming opposition that has recently come to the forefront to fight off the gaming industry.
This legislation has been promised and was imminent for these past months but due to the NFL’s heavy funding and popularity, problems and questions are expected to arise.
The NFL has a lobbying plan to oppose any online gaming legislation, according to the Associated Press this weekend. The lobbyist was hired back in 2008 with the aim of launching a political action board and starting to seek donations to preserve the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The NFL have felt the need to come up with this intensive effort to fight off the pro-gambling forces, also because so much emphasis has been pushed by Chairman Frank and the House Financial Services Committee to revoke the existing law.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy made his comments heard on this issue saying gambling appears as a threat to the “integrity of our game.” “We understand that illegal gambling currently occurs, but there is little we can do about that. However, we can exercise our right to oppose Internet betting on our games… Gambling on our games - online or off line - threatens the integrity of our games and all the values they represent.”
Rather than lobbying their cause against the online legislation in this harsh manner, the NFL could pull their efforts in search of a way out in any new online gaming legislation or this organization could ban the bets made on the NFL games in the next coming weeks. But this is not mentioned by McCarthy.
He also neglects to mention is that the NFL has budding allies in the NCAA and other professional sports leagues, all of these already supporting the 2006 UIGEA. The ever increasing game ticket prices, food and drinks pricing is an NFL profit that is going towards paying for the lobbying costs that are fighting a legislation still to be introduced to Congress. The football fans are not approving of these price increases, the so called efforts by the NFL and McCarthy’s definition of integrity.
The Interactive Gaming Council members and supporters have helped build a funding of over $3 million set aside for lobbying Congress to fight off the opposition on behalf of any pro-gaming legislation. The Poker Players Alliance and other similar organizations are also ready for this fight.
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Written by Stefan · Filed Under news · |
