Former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) passed away Tuesday night at the age of 86. He had been in hospice care at his home in Ogunquit, ME, for the last few months following congestive heart failure.
Frank served more than 30 years in Congress. Poker players may remember him as an outspoken advocate for the game. Following Black Friday on April 15, 2011, Frank co-sponsored the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, meant to federally license, regulate, and tax online gaming operators.
Proponent Of Legal Online Poker
The push for a federally regulated online gaming landscape came after passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006 (UIGEA) that prohibited operators from knowingly accepting payments for online gaming. Frank’s legislation would have created an exemption to UIGEA.
“No. 1, he’s heroic because very seldom will you see somebody take on the establishment the way he has, and he’s a powerful congressional chairman,” former Congressman and Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) told Card Player TV.
“I don’t think he went and counted up the poker players who live in his district, but this is as a principle saying, ‘Who are you to invade a person’s house? Who are you to say that one sport [horse racing], yes you can place wages on, but another one that involves skill that you’re not allowed to.’
“It’s nonsense, and he sets up licensing requirements so that we regulate it, he sets up rules which will allow people to (minimize) underage and problem gamblers’ … participation. He sets up the kind of standards that you need to see that they are honest games. And so, he does the right thing. The unintended consequences of trying to ban it will create problems. So, it’s a great bill.”
Despite some support, Congress remained divided on the issue at the time. The bill never passed out of the House Financial Services Committee, of which Frank was a ranking member and chairman, and never saw a full vote in the House of Representatives.
Frank’s Key Achievements
Online poker eventually returned to the U.S. on a state-by-state basis after Delaware and New Jersey passed laws legalizing gambling via the internet in 2012 and 2013.
Nevada also legalized online poker at this time. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Maine have all legalized online gaming in the intervening years.
Frank’s focus on the issue and highlighting the game may have played a role in seeing online poker return to the U.S.
Beyond his efforts to legalize and regulate online gaming, Frank was a proponent of LGBTQ rights and was the first member of Congress to publicly announce that he was gay. He also became the first congressman to marry someone of the same sex.
In 2007, Frank worked with the Bush administration to help the country avoid a financial collapse. He later worked with former Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) to help pass the Dodd-Frank Act, meant to bolster consumer protections, add new capital requirements for banks, and give regulators more powers to monitor risk in financial markets.
“Barney and I shared a fantastic relationship,” Dodd told local media. “I had many good moments in those 36 years in Congress, but none more significant, joyful, or productive than those almost two years working with Barney on our banking bill.”
Frank declined to seek re-election in 2012 and is survived by his husband, Jim Ready; sisters, Ann Lewis and Doris Breay; and brother, David Frank.
Other Poker Notables Who Have Passed Away Recently
Some other people key in the poker world have died in the last several years.
Don Schlitz, songwriter of the famous poker song, “The Gambler,” passed away in April. Poker theory pioneer David Sklansky died in March at age 78. Poker legend and pioneer of the game Doyle Brunson passed away in 2023 at age 89. Author of several poker-related books Anthony Holden died the same year.
Former World Poker Tour commentator and fellow Poker Hall-of-Famer Mike Sexton succumbed to prostate cancer in 2020 at age 73.
