Barney Frank is clearly leaving nothing to chance this time around.  When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed back in 2006, Frank immediately spoke out against it.  The following year he partnered with Republican Ron Paul to get the law thrown out.  The effort was a failure, but that was due to the large presence of Republicans in the Congress.

After the election season of 2008, the Republican Party was left in absolute shambles.  The Democrats, Frank’s Party, walked away with a super majority in of the Congress.  It is much easier for Democrats to pass laws now.  It also helps that no clear guidance or leadership has emerged from the Republican Party to bring some unity to their votes. 

Frank has even come out to speak to the people that care most about online casinos being legalized; that would be the professional poker players of the World Series of Poker, to whom he announced that online casinos will likely be legalized and regulated by the end of 2009.

“It's odd that we say 'no gambling' because the country is in a terrible economic hole because of gambling,” said Frank during his speech at the World Series of Poker.

“The difference is that the law that was passed by the Republicans stop individuals from gambling in thousands with their own money. At the same time they were allowing institutions to gamble in the billions with other people's money.”

Online casinos really have a fighting chance this time around and Frank is seeing the fight through to the end.