Finally the entire Congress has been alerted to the online casino issue.  Representative Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Service Committee has been campaigning to regulate online casinos both because the ban is a violation of personal freedom and because the tax could bring the millions of sorely needed dollars to the Federal coffers.  Now Senator Robert Mendez is proposing online gambling regulations as well.

The Senator from New Jersey is not pushing for all online casinos to be legalized and regulated in the United States.  His focus is strictly on legalizing online poker.  Many experts have predicted that online poker will have a much easier time being accepted as legal that taking a big leap into bed with all online casinos. 

Senator Mendez is proposing a 10 percent tax on online poker.  This tax alone could bring the United States hundreds of millions of dollars a year in tax revenues.  The Mendez plan would collect not only tax revenue but also a licensing fee from online poker providers. 

Mendez sees great potential for online poker in the United States.  His ambition for the industry goes well beyond collecting tax revenue.  Mendez would like to bring online poker companies from off shore locations had have the industry right here in the United States.  The multibillion dollar industry would be a great help to the weak economy that is in desperate need of new jobs and new lucrative industries.

Mendez’s ambitions may be even greater than the plans Barney Frank has for online casinos in the United States.