Written by :
Published on :
Phoenix - (Gambling911.com) - One of the most steadfast opponents of online gambling, former Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, has died at age 84.
Play poker, casino games and bet sports with one account
The Arizona politician rose to the second-highest position in the Republican-held Senate caucus thanks to his policy smarts and deft political sensibilities.
Kyl died Wednesday night from a neurological disorder, said Gordon James, a communications professional who is a longtime friend of the Kyl family. Kyl had withdrawn from public life in December 2025 after announcing he had been diagnosed with dementia.
Kyl spent almost three decades in Congress, serving in both chambers, and watched his party undergo a drastic transformation, with his career spanning Ronald Reagan’s presidency to President Donald Trump’s first term.
“Arizonans are mourning the loss of former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl,” Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a post. “Throughout his decades of public service in the House and Senate, he was a dedicated statesman who always cared deeply for our state.”
He was the co-author of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed in 2006. The new law primarily attacked the money flow to unlawful online gambling. Treasury and the Federal Reserve subsequently required covered payment-system participants to establish procedures reasonably designed to identify and block restricted gambling transactions. That encompasses card systems, ACH, checks, money transmitters and wire-transfer systems. Most offshore gambling companies would shift towards a focus on cryptocurrency transactions years later.
Kyl's death comes just weeks after South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly. Graham was also among the leading opponents when it came to legalizing online gambling.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
