Online gambling website unleashes massive email blast to 75,000 Arizona internet gamers warning about Kyl

Bill Clinton headlined a rally of about 10,000 people who turned out last night to see him stump for Democrat Jim Pederson, who is seeking to oust incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

But it's the internet gambling community that has relentlessly campaigned against Jon Kyl over the past week that has gained national attention and appears to be shifting the tide somewhat despite skeptics beliefs that this group is too niche to make a serious impact.  Jon Kyl co-sponsored legislation that would severely restrict individuals from playing poker and casino games online.  The legislation also applies to sports betting. 

Jon Kyl's PR guy suggested to the Arizona Daily Star earlier this week that gamblers were not serious voters.

A look at the extremely popular online poker forum twoplustwo where thousands of members have rallied against Kyl, asking that poker players donate as little as $5 to the Poker Players Against Jon Kyl Campaign which is essentially feeding the Jim Pederson campaign.  But PPA has acknowledged that Republican votes going towards the Libertarian candidates will also help to take some wind out of Jon Kyl.  A number of poker players have either voiced opposition towards Pederson or simply refuse to vote Democrat. 

On Friday morning came word that one of the largest online gambling companies would be sending out the Poker Players Against Jon Kyl message to just over 75,000 of its customers, all of whom reside in Arizona.

"It took us some time to get the list compiled but it is finally ready and fully sorted out exclusively for our Arizona customers," said a representative from the online gambling company, which required anonymity. 

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is putting $1 million into the homestretch of the Arizona Senate race in hopes of helping challenger Jim Pederson knock off Republican incumbent Jon Kyl.

The DSCC money will be used for television advertisements in Phoenix and Tucson to help Pederson, a Phoenix-area shopping center developer and former state Democratic Party chairman. Former vice president Al Gore and former president Bill Clinton have hit the state in recent days to help Pederson.

An average of recent polls show Kyl leading by 9 points over Pederson, although Democrats say their private polls have that lead at 5 points.

A random sampling of early voting returns have Pederson in the lead, however.

Sportsbook.com acknowledged that its state senatorial betting odds witnessed lopsided action on Jon Kyl.

"The gamblers love Jon Kyl," said a spokesperson from the company.  "We attribute much of this to past landslide victories."

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Christopher Costigan, www.gambling911.com

Originally published November 3, 2006 11:57 am ET