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Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Harry Reid, announced his renewed push to fully ban online gambling in the U.S. including poker.
Reid told the Las Vegas Sun late Monday that if he isn't able to get an exemption for poker from a proposed ban of online gaming making its way through Congress, he would consider supporting a full online gaming ban.
"Unless we can get something done with poker, I'm going to look closely — I haven't made up my mind — but I'm going to look closely into banning it totally," Reid said. "I'm going to take a hard look at it. It would be something I would certainly consider strongly."
The bill to ban online gambling – Restore America’s Wire Act or RAWA - is co-sponsored by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Utah Republican Representative Jason Chavitz. It is the brainchild of casino magnate and GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson, who has come under fire recently for his alleged role in a Chinese influence peddling scheme.
The position puts Reid at odds with most of the casino industry in Las Vegas, including Caesars and MGM Resorts, who see Internet gaming as a way to expand their brand to millennials increasingly disinterested in traditional slot machines, the Sun noted.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
