 Arizona
Senate Race: Online
Gambling community
plans assault on Jon
KylAs a co-sponsor of a bill that was signed into law two weeks ago by President Bush, Jon Kyl, the Republican Senator from Arizona, has worked hard over the years to abolish online gambling utilizing the "family values" front. The current law would look to severely cut off some forms of online gambling via credit card transactions, though the banking sector has already condemned the law, claiming it would be close to impossible for the banks to monitor online gambling transactions. Gambling911.com has also learned from top government sources that President Bush almost didn't sign the internet gambling legislation. Bush reportedly told key members in his administration that he did not want to sign off on an "unrelated" internet gambling provision that arrived to his desk as an attachment to a much more important port security bill. While hopes were high, the President ultimately signed off on the entire package though making no mention of the measure pertaining to online gambling. That measure was spearheaded by Senator Jon Kyl and forced through Congress on the coat tails of the port security bill (courtesy of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist) during the final Friday late night session before Election Day recess early this month. Both Frist and Kyl have claimed that online gambling is like "crack cocaine" that gets in the way of a family's well-being, yet they ensured carve-out niches for horse racing and state lotteries, something viewed as highly suspect among the online gambling community. Other politicians likewise expressed dismay over the attached piece of legislation that appeared without warning and could not get passed on its own. Some, like Nevada Representative Shelley Berkley, voiced outrage over the internet gambling provision's inclusion while Senate Republicans removed other measures from the "port bill" that would help bolster rail and mass transit security. Even the original sponsors of the port security bill spoke out against the internet gambling provision add-on. In the coming days, the online gambling community is planning a massive protest against Senator Jon Kyl in the state of Arizona. Dozens of websites focusing on the sector will be publishing a message alerting Arizona voters and online gambling enthusiasts as to Senator Kyl's role in trying to abolish internet poker, sports betting an online casino games while ensuring the protection of his own state lottery. Many of these sites, including prominent online gambling establishments that operate outside the United States, will be sending the powerful message to all of its Arizona customers. One large sports betting firm has disclosed that based on last year's numbers they had just over 5000 registered users in the city of Phoenix alone. "The industry as a whole must take a stand to show how powerful we are and that politicians with their own self-agendas need to be held accountable for their actions," said a prominent member of the online gambling community who is one of many organizing the campaign against Jon Kyl. It is a campaign that can work. Internet gambling has become a billion dollar industry that, contrary to popular opinion among some political foes, fuels the US economy through ad deals, sponsorship events and most notably works in conjunction with Las Vegas. "The Vegas casinos once despised our industry. This year they lobbied heavily to prevent the passage of the internet gambling legislation. It was once believed that online casinos would negatively affect Las Vegas since gamblers could now play casino games without leaving the comfort of their homes. Quite the opposite has occurred. Online gambling has only helped to fuel interest in Vegas as the ultimate casino gaming experience. It's really no different than being able to rent movies two or three months after a film's release. That hasn't stopped the box office from realizing record breaking numbers year after year." Over the past few weeks, Jon Kyl has watched a solid lead evaporate. Democratic challenger Jim Pederson has now closed within 6 percentage points of Kyl. "The online gambling community will narrow that gap even further and anyone who underestimates our influence is in for quite a surprise," predicts the prominent industry representative. "Nine percent of Arizona voters said they were undecided and we believe many of these are individuals who love gambling online and will be inclined to vote against anyone looking to take away their rights." The effort on behalf of the internet gambling sector also looks to address concerns over prohibition that stretches beyond the gaming landscape. "We believe through 'word of mouth' those disinterested in online gambling will be turned off by Senator Kyl's attempts at prohibition." Websites were expected to begin relaying the message later this week. --- Christopher Costigan, www.gambling911.com Originally published October 25, 2006 11:27 am ET |