The Online Poker Player Resource

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) introduced a House bill on Thursday that will make skilled games such as poker and mahjong exempt from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The bill is called “The Skill Game Protection Act (H.R. 2610) and it will amend the 1961 Federal Wire Act causing skill-based games to be seen as something separate from sports betting and from games based on chance that was outlined in the UIGEA.

Currently as it stands, the UIGEA language on chance based games is broad which causes games such as poker to be included in that law. Wexler’s bill will specifically create in the language a way to distinguish games that are based on skill from games that are based purely on luck. It will do this by essentially, clarifying the language in the 1961 Wire Act’s direct references to “bets or wagers.” This adjustment will specifically cause the law to recognize those games where success is based on skill as being different from those games where success is based on chance.

"Congressman Wexler's legislation is necessary to provide equitable treatment for true games of intellect and competitions among individuals," said PPA Chairman Alphonse D'Amato. "This skill based competition is the true spirit of the game, and the reason for its popularity whether it is played at the World Series of Poker, over the internet or at your kitchen table," added D'Amato.