A number of high profile US politicians, and industry groups have requested a delay in implementation of the UIGEA.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was due for full regulatory implementation by on December 2009, but regulators charged with it's enforcement have for some time branded the laws an unreasonable burden on both regulators and the financial industry.
Barney Frank, Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, along with other senior politicians, last week wrote to Timothy Geithner and Ben Bernanke with a request to delay regulatory implementation of the law.
Other parties lending their weight to a petition accompanying the request included the Poker Players Alliance and horse and greyhound racing industry associations.
The petition requests a year long delay in UIGEA's full implementation to December 2010. By then, new legislation seeking to overturn it and replace it with a licensing regime will have been at least considered by Congress and if passed, render implementation superfluous.
The letter of request accompanying the petition included the statement:
'As you know, at our hearing in April of 2008, the testimony of regulators and the industry indicated that it would be particularly difficult to craft workable regulations to effectively enforce the statute without having a substantial adverse effect on the payments system'
As yet there has been now word on whether the delay will be granted.
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