Often decisions taken domestically in the US have a ripple effect across the globe and if an on line gambling act reform bill put forward by a Democratic Representative receives enough support then there may be smiles throughout the industry in the U.K

The bill put forward by Massachusetts representative Barney Frank would enable fully licenced online sites from within the U.S. and abroad to run as normal though additional restrictions would be put in place.

So far no date has been fixed for the vote on the bill but many on Capitol Hill are pushing for action to be taken sooner rather than later.

Some online gaming providers in the U.K. including PartyGaming and Sportingbet have suffered dramatic losses as a result of the Bush administration’s ban and this chink of light may provide them with renewed hope.

Interestingly the Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama is a great fan of poker and used to play the game until recently. It’s understood he would be in favour of Frank’s bill and would vote correspondingly if and when it came before the House.

Pressure is also mounting on the Americans from the European Union.

Lawyers from the EU are seeking compensation for the severe losses suffered by British and European companies banned from operating in their biggest marker last year.

The Frank bill would regulate and tax online gambling offered by all operators, a situation which many in the EU would welcome.

An EU trade official said “The UK operators and others who have lost out would get nothing. But the Frank bill would go a long way to meeting our demands. If there is to be some form of compensation it will not be in cash but in the form of the US opening up its services industry or part of it, say insurance or re-insurance, to others.”

The U.S knows it has its hands tied and it must act soon on this anti-competitive piece of legislation.

The WTO ruled earlier this year that America acted illegally by excluding online gaming operators from the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua and had to pay $3.4 billion in compensation.

So as George Bush rapidly losses his grasp on the puppet strings in US politics companies on this side of the pond may have a second bite of the lucrative cherry that is the American gambling market.