Frank has tried strenuously to free US residents to make their own choice whether to gamble on the Internet. But this year, with a Democratic advantage in both Houses and a friendly administration in the White House, Frank is considered likely to succeed at passing his bill and getting it signed into law.
Legislators worried about constituents who consider gambling immoral can still justify voting to open the US market to Internet casinos as necessary economically, both to meet US obligations to free international trade and to create a significant new revenue stream for the government.
A Frank bill that repeals the UIGEA would probably effectively settle the disputes ongoing with both Antigua and the European Union. While Antigua has already been awarded damages, the reopening of the US market would be a far greater prize economically than any settlement for the WTO award that the case might wither and disappear.