US Mid-Terms Could Pave Way for Gambling

The now four-year long battle to legalize online gambling in the USA could rest on the result of the upcoming mid-term elections, to be contested on November 2.

All House of Representatives seats and 39 of the 100 Senate seats are up for grabs in this election, meaning the balance of power could potentially swing strongly either way. In addition, 37 states will hold elections for governor on the same day.

So what could this mean for online gambling? Anything, really, depending on who you ask.

Pro-gambling legislators in Washington have pushed hard for regulation ever since the introduction of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which effectively banned online gambling in the country by outlawing funds transfers to online gambling sites.

However, HR 2267 and HR 2267, introduced by Massachusetts Democrat congressman Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, which aim to overturn the ban, are still to be heard.

The Republican Party appears set to make gains in all three elections thanks to President Barack Obama's dwindling popularity, despite recent gains made by the Democrats in the polls.

Although Democrat politicians tend to dominate the pro-gambling lobby, this is not an exclusively left-right issue, and there are also many Republican politicians supportive of legalizing and regulating online gambling, many of whom have sponsored Frank's bills.