How Important is the Online Poker Cheat Issue in the Regulation of Online Gaming?

Before the huge online poker cheat scandals broke in 2007, cheating at online poker didn't seem to have much of a bearing on the various debates about whether or not to legalize or regulate online poker. However, with the prevalence of major online poker cheat scams, especially those at Absolute Poker and UltimateBet, the issue of cheating online poker seems to be at front and center of all the discussions now. And who is referring to online poker cheating the most? The answer is those who are in support of legalizing it. Two main proponents of legalizing or regulating online gaming, Barney Frank, Alfonse D'Amato and other politicians behind the push to legalize online poker are constantly referring to how modern software technology can continually help reduce the amount of cheating that goes on in online poker, and some say that very soon the type of cheating we have seen online will soon be virtually impossible to duplicate. However, the question in my mind is: what new types of sophisticated high-tech cheating will come along in the next few years? In any event, there appears to be a correlation between improvements to online poker anti-cheating security systems and the chances for imminent legalization of online casinos and poker rooms. Personally, I believe we will see legal online poker and gaming in the US within the next five years, but the going still will be rough!