 McCain
Likes to Play Craps!
Obama Has Poker
Community Backing
Is Senator John
McCain the President
for legalized online
gambling or is
Senator Barack Obama
the man?
The answer may be
either as a recent
report shows that
both men like to
gamble. In
fact, this year's
presidential
election features
seasoned gamblers
for the first time
since the days of
Richard Nixon and
Lyndon Johnson.
While McCain's camp
attempts to retool
the 70 plus year old
US Republican
Presidential
candidate's campaign
in order that he
appeals more to a
younger crowd,
without really
trying - McCain has
scored some
important points
with gamblers in
recent days.
Just how important
is the vote of said
gamblers - in
particular the poker
playing community?
Presently, the World
Series of Poker is
considered among the
hottest "sports"
going this summer.
You read that right
- sports.
Just look under
"Other" on the
ESPN.com website to
confirm. And
even more
importantly to the
McCain Presidential
campaign, the
powerful Poker
Players Alliance
consists of some
million plus diehard
poker players.
In October 2006, a
law was passed that
essentially made
online poker illegal
in the United
States. The
loophole was that
poker players
themselves were
immune from the law.
Nonetheless, banking
institutions were
not and many a
player has found it
difficult using
their credit cards
at poker rooms that
accept US customers
such as
Bodog
and
Wass.
There are
literally millions
of online poker
players who blame
the Bush
administration for
interfering with
their beloved sport.
McCain perked up
some ears within the
poker community last
week when he stated
- among other things
- "The economy is
what's hurting the
gaming industry in
Las Vegas today. It
isn't sports betting
or Internet gaming."
McCain also alluded
to the fact that he
"hadn't thought much
about the issue" of
Internet gambling
prohibition.
Some would argue
that President
George W. Bush
himself hasn't
thought much about
the issue either yet
his administration
has seemingly made
it Issue Number Two
after Terrorism.
Proponents of McCain
within the sector
itself suggest that
he will shift the
Justice Department's
attention away from
going after online
gaming operators.
A number of
Republicans have
been vocal about
legalizing Internet
gambling - among
them Congressmen Ron
Paul and Jim Kasper.
And McCain may be
more in tune with
the gambling public
than he is willing
to admit.
 The Sunday Telegraph
highlighted how the
Presidential
candidate likes to
play craps.
And it is not
unheard of McCain to
go 14 hours straight
at the craps table.
Mr McCain has
enjoyed the
camaraderie and the
thrill of chance in
the dice game, where
players bet on the
outcome of the
throw, since his
days as a tearaway
pilot in the Navy.
He is reputed to
wager several
thousand dollars a
session, and had to
be prevented from
gambling when a
campaign trip took
him through Las
Vegas earlier this
year.
But for the poker
community, focus has
been on Democratic
candidate Barack
Obama, who is known
to be a skilled
poker player
himself.
Lifelong Republican
and poker legend
Doyle Brunson told
Gambling911.com's
Jenny Woo, he will
vote Democrat for
the first time in
his adult life,
which translates
into about a
century.
"Well I’m a life
long Republican,"
said Brunson, whose
own
online poker room
is among the most
recognized in the
world.
"But I think I’m
probably going to
vote Democrat this
year, because of the
way that they ran
the Internet gaming
bill through. I
think that maybe the
Democrats will be a
little bit more
lenient with the
online gambling."
Another leading
poker player and
Obama backer, Andy
Bloch, told The
Sunday Telegraph
that most players in
Las Vegas for the
main event of the
World Series of
Poker, which began
on Thursday, are
backing the
Democrat. Meanwhile
a group called Poker
Players for Obama
writes a blog on his
campaign website.
Obama has said his
administration would
welcome a "study of
legalized Internet
gambling" though he
expressed caution
over its affects on
impoverished
communities.
His campaign has
stopped short of
supporting an all
out legalization of
the activity
proposed by fellow
Democratic
colleagues like
Barney Frank.
----
Christopher
Costigan,
Gambling911.com
Publisher
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
July 9, 2008 11:15
am EST
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