Prior to Thanksgiving, poker players and fans were giving thanks to the high profile discussions of regulated online poker in the House and the Senate. The second hearing in the House Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Commerce, and Trade on November 18th rehashed several of the same points as the first, but the cause still got some much-needed play on the Capitol.

What may have felt like momentum building might have been false hope though.  Between not breaking much new ground with the second hearing and some breaking news from Washington, suddenly it feels like action is stalling.  With the announcement of ardent online poker supporter Barney Frank not seeking re-election and news from Washington insiders that online poker is dead in the water for the moment, there isn’t much good news on the regulation front.  We’ve got the news on how online poker’s fortunes turned, plus updates from Full Tilt and some potential news from Facebook in this edition of The Fight:

House Hearing Is a Case of Deja Vu

The panels and witnesses may have varied from the first hearing, but the concepts presented in the November 18th hearing before the House Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Commerce, and Trade rehashed most of the arguments we heard the first time around.

On the same day as the hearing, Rep. GK Butterfield (D-NC) sent an open letter to the Committee Chair, Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) strongly urging the group to include testimony from groups like the Department of Justice.  His reasoning is that the DOJ and groups like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are the people who would monitor and oversee regulated online gambling and their insight would be vital to making an informed decision.

The inclusion of such testimony is looking unlikely though, as Gambling Compliance’s Chris Krafcik reported via Twitter (@CKrafcik) that Mack and the rest of the Committee are “publicly putting the brakes on further gambling hearings.”

Barney Frank Will Not Seek Re-Election

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) was one of the witnesses who testified in the November 18th hearing, but it turns out that Frank’s days as an official Congressman are numbered.  This week, Frank revealed that he would not be seeking re-election for a 17th term in Congress.  According to the Washington Post, Frank was planning to run again, but changed his plans when Massachusetts redistricting meant he would be facing a tougher race than usual.

One of the most vocal supporters of online poker legislation on the hill, Frank authored HR-2267, a bill to overturn the UIGEA and create a legislative framework for regulated online gambling in the United States.  While he will no longer serve in Congress, Frank assured that he would be a presence in Washington.  ”I’m not retiring from advocacy of public policy,” he explained in a public statement.

Nevada Moves Forward with Online Gaming Licensing

Though the Nevada Gaming Control Commission (NGCC) will not officially license providers of online gambling without approval from the federal government, the state is still moving forward with the process of accepting applications from potential online gambling providers even though Congress seems to have put the issue on the backburner.  Shortly before Thanksgiving, NGCC Chairman Mark Lipparelli issued a public notice that applications are currently being accepted in spite of the face that an internal framework for the initiative has not been established yet.

Assembly Bill 258 was signed into law by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval back in June.  The bill allows for the NGCC to issue licenses in preparation for potential federal online gambling in the future.

Facebook to Venture Into Real Money Gaming?

According to EGaming Review Magazine, online monolith Facebook might find itself in the real money gaming business in the very near future.  The article suggests that the social networking site is in talks with 888Holdings to launch real money gambling in Europe.  Neither Facebook nor 888 confirmed the news.  The potential development comes at the same time as rumors that Facebook is considering an IPO that could potentially raise up to $10 billion.

We will have news if any official announcement comes from Facebook or 888 regarding the story.

Lederer and Furst Seek to Reclaim Bank Accounts

As usual, there is some small news on the Full Tilt Poker front this week.  Howard Lederer and Rafe Furst both filed motions to reclaim the bank accounts seized in an expanded warrant back in September. Chris Ferguson and Raymond Bitar already filed similar motions over the past few week.

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