Federal Online Poker Legislation: The Need for More GOP Involvement
Republican Congressmen Peter King (New York) and Joe Barton (Texas) are set to introduce bills legalizing online poker. King’s bill is set to be introduced next week (first week of June 2013) while Barton will introduce a companion bill some time during the summer.
The online poker lobby, however, wants more GOP support.
While Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are anxious to jump on board, doubts linger as to whether such legislation can succeed without a strong Republican ally in the Senate.
Reid had proven himself not only an ally for the industry, but also one of its biggest obstacles. His last co-authored legislation attempted to make Nevada the primary hub for Web gambling, something that did not sit well with other state lotteries.
“That's important to do. We want to make sure that this is not Nevada-centric. It's important to find someone who sees the wisdom of going forward with the federal bill,” Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, told The Hill. “It just makes sense that this important legislation has bipartisan support.”
Fahrenkopf says he has approached Republican Senators about supporting such a bill but declined to mention names of specific individuals.
Reid also confirmed that he and fellow Republican Nevada Senator Dean Heller are already working together on the online poker issue.
“Sen. Reid has been great. Sen. Heller has been great. But this is a national issue, not just a Nevada or a New Jersey bill, so the conventional wisdom is we need someone outside of the states of Nevada and New Jersey to help be in the lead. I say the more, the better, for this or any issue,” said former Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.).
Porter recently spoke at a gaming conference voicing his concerns over special interests derailing previous attempts to legalize online gambling. The former Congressman wants other gambling interest groups like the Tribal casinos and state lotteries on board with discussions.
“The industry needs to be on a similar page and start working together. It's a highly competitive industry, so they won't agree on every point, but they do need agree on the same set of principles. Without that, moving this bill will be tough to do,” Porter said.
Heller has been reaching out to his fellow Republican Senators to discuss the issue.
“Sen. Heller and Sen. Reid are continuing to work closely together on this issue, while at the same time, Sen. Heller is consistently reaching out to his Republican colleagues. In fact, he held meetings on this very topic as recently as last week,” said Chandler Smith, a spokeswoman for Heller.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
