Although it is too early to start celebrating, it looks like regulation of the online gambling industry in the United States is moving in the right direction.  In recent months, several events have taken place that show there is hope for regulation of online gambling in the US, instead of simply prohibition.  Before we discuss the latest piece of legislation, let's talk about the other two recent events that have demonstrated movement in the right direction.

One of the positive events that may lead to the United States moving from prohibition to regulation of online gambling was the passing of a piece of legislation that required clarification of the term "unlawful Internet gambling" in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (in case you are not familiar with the UIGEA, it is the original piece of 2006 legislation that forced so many online casinos and poker rooms to stop accepting players from the United States).

The other positive event that took place recently was the introduction of legislation into the House of Representatives by Barney Frank (along with Robert Wexler).  The purpose of Frank's legislation is to move the United States away from prohibiting online gambling and instead focusing on establishing standards for licensing and regulating it.

Now that you know about these two recent events that are helping move US online gambling legislation in the right direction, let's talk about the latest piece of online gambling legislation that has been introduced to the United States Senate.  Introduced by Sentaor Robert Menendex (a Democrat from New Jersey), the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act is designed to give the United States a framework for licensing and regulating the online gambling industry (including poker and other online gambling games).