The Skill Game Protection Act (HR 2610), proposed by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), provides an exemption to UIGEA for games of skill, including poker, mah jong, bridge, and other games.
Gaming consultant Michael Shackleford has also been critical of the UIGEA stating that the act has "undoubtedly depressed play" but has failed in its primary objective as "there are ways of funding accounts without using US banks, and millions of players know that".
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Bill Frist R-TN, former majority leader of the Senate, and Jon Kyl R-AZ are both credited with expediting the UIGEA's passage through the Senate.