S. 1597 (111th): Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009

Introduced:
Aug 06, 2009 (111th Congress, 2009–2010)
Sponsor:
Sen. Robert “Bob” Menéndez [D-NJ]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. S. stands for Senate bill.

(About Ads | Advertise Here)
Status

This bill was introduced on August 6, 2009, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Aug 06, 2009
Referred to Committee Aug 06, 2009
Cosponsors
1 cosponsors (1D) (show)
Committees

Senate Finance

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the licensing by the Secretary of the Treasury of Internet poker and other games that are predominantly of skill, to provide for consumer protections on the Internet, to enforce the tax code, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

Read Bill Text »

Last updated Aug 06, 2009.
91 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

GovTrack gets most information from THOMAS, which is updated generally one day after events occur. Activity since the last update may not be reflected here.

Citation

Click a format for a citation suggestion:

GovTrack’s Bill Summary

We don’t have a summary available yet.

Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

8/6/2009--Introduced.
Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009 - Prescribes federal administrative and licensing requirements governing Internet game-of-skill facilities.
Vests the Secretary of the Treasury with regulatory and enforcement jurisdiction over such facilities.
Prohibits any person from operating an Internet game-of-skill facility that knowingly accepts bets or wagers from persons located in the United States without a license issued by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to impose:
(1) fees upon licensees to cover the cost of administering this Act; and
(2) specified civil money penalties for willful violation of this Act or related regulations.
Cites safeguards required of licensees, including:
(1) collection of customer and licensee taxes related to Internet games of skill or game-of-skill facilities;
(2) safeguards against fraud, money laundering, and terrorist finance; and
(3) safeguards to prevent compulsive Internet betting or wagering.
Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations for:
(1) development of a Problem Gaming, Responsible Gaming, and Self-Exclusion Program;
(2) establishment of a list of persons self-excluded from gaming activities at licensee sites; and
(3) a public awareness program about the availability of the self-exclusion list.
Prohibits a person who is prohibited from gaming with a licensee from collecting any winnings or recovering any losses that arise as a result of prohibited gaming activity.
Shields a financial transaction provider from liability for engaging in financial activities or transactions in connection with bets permitted under this Act and the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, unless the provider knows or has reason to know they violate federal or state law.
Permits states and Indian tribal authorities to opt-out of Internet gaming activities.
Prohibits wagers on games of chance and sporting events.
Prohibits electronic cheating devices.
Requires the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to give the Secretary a list of unlawful Internet gambling enterprises.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose upon licensees:
(1) a federal Internet gaming license fee;(2) a state or Indian tribal government gaming license fee; and
(3) specified tax return and recordkeeping requirements.
Establishes the State and Indian Tribal Government Gaming License Fee Trust Fund. Subjects to tax withholding parimutuel pool winnings and net Internet gaming winnings (including those of nonresident aliens).
Exempts certain gaming proceeds from taxation by either a state or Indian Tribal Government receiving appropriations from the Trust Fund. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize:
(1) treatment programs for pathological gambling; and
(2) grants for comprehensive education, prevention and treatment services for problem and pathological gaming.
Directs the Secretary to carry out a national campaign to increase public awareness of problem gambling.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

The House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.

So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.

We’ll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.

The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)

Other Citations

  • 31 U.S.C. Chapter 53