The House Judiciary Committee hearing about online gambling may have swayed at least one congressman in favor of legalizing the industry. On Thursday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) signed on as a co-sponsor of the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.

The IGREA was introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) in April and seeks to legalize, license and regulate online gambling in the United States.

At this time, the government points to legislation such as the Wire Act of 1961 as making online gambling illegal. More recently, the government passed into law in 2006 the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which restricts financial transactions meant for gambling online.

Blumenauer was actually among the representatives who voted to approve the UIGEA in 2006. It appears he’s now switching his opinion and supporting the new legislation that would legalize Internet gambling such as online poker and online casinos.

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