Congress Considers Legalizing Online Poker

Don't hold your breath

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) introduced legislation late Thursday that would license and regulate online poker.

Internet gambling is currently in a legal gray zone. A 2006 law curbed Internet gambling, but a 2011 Justice Department decision has permitted states to allow online gambling within their own borders. 

Unlike a recent bill from Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), Barton's bill, the Internet Poker Freedom Act, would apply only to poker and not other forms of online gambling.