Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011
Latest action · Aug 25, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 24, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011 - Prohibits a person from (and requires a fine under the federal criminal code, imprisonment up to five years, or both) for operating an Internet gambling facility without a license in good standing issued by a state or tribal agency qualified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Makes such prohibition inapplicable to facilities operated by persons located outside the United States in which bets or wagers are made by individuals located outside the United States.
Establishes the Office of Internet Poker Oversight in the Department of Commerce.
Allows a licensee to accept an Internet poker bet or wager from U.S.-located individuals and offer related services so long as the license remains in good standing.
Prohibits licensees from knowingly accepting bets or wagers by persons residing where a state or Indian tribe has notified the Secretary of specific gambling limitations. Sets forth exceptions concerning the applicability of state limitations on tribal lands.
Establishes a 5-year term for initial licenses, subject to renewal and transfer requirements.
Authorizes enforcement and disciplinary actions by the Secretary and the appropriate state or tribal agency. Sets forth civil penalties.
Requires: (1) each qualified state and tribal agency to maintain a list and submit a current copy each week to the Secretary, who shall maintain a master list, of persons self-excluded from playing Internet poker through licensed Internet poker facilities; and (2) each licensee to implement a Compulsive Gaming, Responsible Gaming, and Self-Exclusion Program as a licensure condition.
Precludes persons prohibited from gaming with a licensee by law, or by order of the Secretary, a qualified state or tribal agency, or any court of competent jurisdiction, including any person on the self-exclusion list, from collecting winnings or recovering losses arising from prohibited gaming activity. Requires court-ordered child support delinquents to be included on the self-exclusion list.
Prohibits licensees, except as specified, from: (1) accepting bets or wagers on sporting events and games other than Internet poker, and (2) using credit cards for Internet gambling. Establishes a violation for operating a place of public accommodation for accessing Internet gambling facilities.
Requires a fine under the federal criminal code, or imprisonment up to three years, or both, for certain rules of play violations, including using tools, electronic devices, or software to obtain a prohibited or unfair advantage or to defraud any licensee or persons placing bets or wagers with a licensee.
Makes specified provisions of: (1) this Act and federal monetary transaction laws inapplicable to interstate off-track wagers under the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (IHA), and (2) the federal criminal code and financial transaction laws inapplicable to this Act and the IHA.
Prohibits this Act from having any effect on: (1) state or tribal lottery rights, privileges, or obligations; or (2) non-Internet gaming activities within the scope of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act or any successor provisions, tribal-state compacts, or authorities.
Amends the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 to prohibit holding a financial transaction provider (FTP) liable for a financial activity or transaction, including a payments processing activity, in connection with a bet or wager permitted by this Act or the IHA without actual knowledge of any applicable federal or state law violation. Shields such providers from liability for blocking or refusing to honor specified transactions.
Requires the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to investigate unlicensed Internet gambling enterprises and provide the Secretary of the Treasury with a list of such enterprises updated at least every 60 days.
Deems FTPs to have actual knowledge that persons or entities are unlicensed Internet gambling enterprises if they are included on such list or, under other specified circumstances, when information in addition to a list is available to an FTP demonstrating that a person or entity is such an enterprise.
Cosponsors 30
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 24, 2011 to Apr 19, 2012; 11 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MA | Barney Frank | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-CO | Ed Perlmutter | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| R-CA | John Campbell | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| R-NY | Michael G. Grimm | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| R-NY | Peter T. King | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| R-TX | Ron Paul | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-NV | Shelley Berkley | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | Jun 24, 2011 |
| D-VA | James P. Moran | Jul 8, 2011 | |
| D-CO | Jared Polis | Jul 8, 2011 | |
| D-NJ | Robert E. Andrews | Jul 8, 2011 | |
| D-CA | Bob Filner | Jul 19, 2011 | |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Jul 19, 2011 | |
| R-NV | Joseph J. Heck | Jul 19, 2011 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | Jul 19, 2011 | |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | Jul 19, 2011 | |
| D-NY | Steve Israel | Jul 19, 2011 | |
| D-CA | Howard L. Berman | Aug 12, 2011 | |
| D-CT | James A. Himes | Aug 12, 2011 | |
| R-PA | Jim Gerlach | Aug 12, 2011 | |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Aug 12, 2011 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Aug 12, 2011 | |
| R-NJ | Leonard Lance | Dec 14, 2011 | |
| R-PA | Tim Murphy | Feb 1, 2012 | |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Apr 19, 2012 | |
| R-NJ | Frank A. LoBiondo | Apr 19, 2012 | |
| R-NV | Mark E. Amodei | Apr 19, 2012 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2011 |
| Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee | Referred Jun 24, 2011 | |
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2011 |
| Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee | Referred Jul 29, 2011 | |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2011 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Aug 25, 2011 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 25, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Jul 29, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.
- Jun 24, 2011Introduced in House
- Jun 24, 2011Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Jun 24, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H4576.
Printed hearings 3
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 112-706 | REGULATION OF TRIBAL GAMING: FROM BRICK AND MORTAR TO THE INTERNET60 pages | Indian Affairs Committee | Jul 26, 2012 |
| Serial No. 112-105 | INTERNET GAMING: REGULATING IN AN ONLINE WORLD302 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Nov 18, 2011 |
| Serial No. 112-100 | INTERNET GAMING: IS THERE A SAFE BET?154 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Oct 25, 2011 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1174 | Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act | Related bill | Jun 1, 2011 |
| HR 2702 | Wire Clarification Act of 2011 | Related bill | Aug 25, 2011 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish a program for State licensing of Internet poker, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Banking and financial institutions regulation
- Civil actions and liability
- Commerce
- Consumer affairs
- Consumer credit
- Criminal justice information and records
- Department of Commerce
- Department of the Treasury
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Gambling
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Intergovernmental relations
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Licensing and registrations
- Mental health
- Separation, divorce, custody, support
- State and local government operations
- User charges and fees
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2011Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.