Party Poker Blog

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Rep. Berkley introduces gambling study bill

Online gambling seems to be on the forefront of more than a few minds of Congressmen, as Rep. Shelley Berkley has followed up the introduction of legislation last week by Rep. Barney Frank with another Internet gambling bill.

Berkley (D-Nev.) introduced H.R. 2140 in the House of Representatives Thursday.

The bill asks for a study to be done by the National Academy of Sciences to identify the proper response of the United States to the growth of Internet gambling. Her bill is cosponsored by 60 Congressman, including Frank.

The first action taken on the bill was to refer it to the three committees: Judiciary, Financial Services, and Ways and Means.

While Berkley has been in support of repealing an online gambling ban in the United States, she said in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "One of the advantages of this legislation is that it doesn't take a side. It doesn't say Internet gambling is good or bad. It says 'Let's study the issue.'"

Berkley is also a cosponsor for Frank's bill, H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, which seeks to set up legislation and licensing for online gambling operators.