Written On 4/8/11 By Lenny Wasman :
But did Congress meet the ‘objection' deadline?
Today (Friday) should reveal whether the US Congress has allowed Washington DC to enter the intrastate online poker field by default through missing the midnight Thursday deadline for objections.
In 2010 the Washington DC city council approved a budget that included provision for the district's lottery to operate an online poker website. At the time the proposal caused a furore among politicians, who had to approve or reject the proposal as it was almost literally in their Congressional backyard.
The Wall Street Journal notes that the issue additionally raises the recurring debate on the legality of online poker in the United States and the autonomy of states regarding intrastate issues.
The deadline for that decision was Thursday, and theoretically if no objections have been raised the project can go forward.
Such a move could create the astonishing situation of the nation's political heart becoming the first ‘state' to legalise online poker on an intrastate basis, beating rivals like New Jersey, Florida, Iowa, California and Hawaii – all of which have legalising initiatives in play – to the punch.