The future of the online gambling world in the U.S. has appeared shaky since the decision by U.S. Congress to introduce new legislation aimed at preventing U.S. casino players from participating at international gaming sites. However, according to the CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), the future is not all bleak.

In an interview with Reuters, Frank Fahrenkopf of the AGA, points out that the balance of power in Congress has shifted to the Democrats. Traditionally, Democrat politicians have been far more in favour of regulating online gambling than in implementing an outright ban. "We think it might be time to see if there is a way to regulate and control online gaming:" Fahrenkopf told Reuters. “I think the change on balance is positive.”

Fahrenkopf pointed to several Democrats as being key to the rapidly changing fortunes of the online gambling industry. One of these is Senator Harry Reid from Nevada, who was elected by his peers to stand as U.S. Senate majority leader for the 110th Congress. Reid “probably knows our industry better than anyone,” Fahrenkopf told Reuters.

Similarly, Mitch McConnell, a Republican from the “gambling state” of Kentucky, is billed to become his party’s new leader in the Senate. Fellow Republican Trent Lott from Mississippi is expected to join McConnell as assistant minority leader.

Another friendly face is that of Republican representative John Conyers, who proposed Congress conduct a full-scale investigation into the online gambling industry before proceeding with any measures to ban it. Fahrenkopf believes that the Detroit Senator is already aware of “how casinos can benefit the economy.”

The next item on the AGA’s agenda will be to decide whether to push the new Congress for an independent study of online gambling when it convenes in January.
 “We think it might be time to see if there is a way to regulate and control online gaming,” Fahrenkopf said. “The goal [of recent anti-gambling legislation] was to protect U.S. consumers, but I think the impact has been the exact opposite. The responsible companies have pulled out, only leaving about 2,000 fly-by-night Web sites.”

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