Joe Barton Eyes Ominibus Bills Over Next Two Weeks for Online Poker Attachment

The odds may be stacked against him but Texas Republican Joe Barton said his bill to legalize online poker could be attached to one of the ominibus spending bills expected to pass before the end of this month (December 2011).

Speaking before the Digital Gaming and Lottery Policy Summit in Washington, DC this week, Barton offered the following: 

“There’s also an opportunity to move it as part of a bigger package. This was considered by the Supercommittee. It was never in their final product, if they had one, but it was considered. There’s going to be some sort of omnibus bill in the next three weeks, an agreement to fund the government through next September. This bill could be a part of that if you put a revenue component in there.

“Absent that, what I just outlined prior is to move this as a standalone bill. That would be my preference because when you do something through the regular process, you generally get a better product.”

The poker sector was dealt a bit of a blow this week after Sands of Las Vegas CEO Sheldon Adelson declared he was opposed to current bills geared towards legalizing online poker.  In the past, Adelson has contended he would not actively try to block such legislation.  He is one of the leading donors to the Republican party.  The online poker community reacted by threatening to boycott Adelson’s properties in Vegas. 

- Ace King, Gambling911.com