MCDERMOTT PESSIMISTIC REGARDING ONLINE GAMBLING TAX BILL


IGRTEA unlikely to move out of committee this year
 
Industry disappointment at the news that Nevada Senator Harry Reid is against the federal legalization of internet gambling in the United States  has been followed by a pessimistic statement from Representative Jim McDermott regarding his proposed bill on the taxation of online gambling.
 
McDermott's Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act is a companion bill to that of Representative Barney Frank, which seeks to legalise, regulate and tax online gambling.
 
The McDermott bill has stalled in the Ways and Means Committee and is at the mercy of the committee chairman, Sander Levin, who has not yet scheduled the proposal for markup. It seems that this will not happen before the November mid-term elections, according to a spokesman for Representative McDermott this week.
 
The House of Representatives adjourns October 8 to prepare for the elections, only returning early in November, when a ‘lame duck' session is traditionally held.
 
McDermott's representative said the Congressman would like to see the bill advance before the end of the year, but warned that time is running out and the amount of other legalization awaiting the attention of the Ways and Means Committee is considerable.
 
If the McDermott bill is not out of committee when the current Congressional season ends, it's back to square one next year.