Senator Harry Reid Supports Online Poker Legislation
Tweet ShareAugust 27, 2010 by James McDonald · 1 Comment
According to gaming executives in northern Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has stated that he will support the legalization of online poker, troubling many in the state’s lucrative gambling industry. Reid’s comments were made during a meeting held at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa on August 16th.
While Reid told the executives present at this meeting that he would support legislation to regulate Internet poker rooms, he would not support other forms of online gambling. The casino industry in Nevada is closely monitoring attempts to regulate the multi-million dollar poker business, and analysts see its legalization as the first step to online casinos, a move they vehemently oppose.
Bill Hughes, the marketing director of the Peppermill said, “[Online poker] is just the tip of the iceberg and could open up this state to more online gaming. It will only draw more money out of this state, from our poker rooms and eventually other facilities.”
Eric Dale, general manager of Baldini’s Sports Casino in Sparks, NV, was quoted as saying, “If you want Nevada to survive, you don’t open that door. You don’t even open it an inch for online poker.”
While many of the executives in attendance at the meeting believed Reid’s claim that he won’t allow online casinos to be legalized, others are concerned about what will happen when he’s no longer in office. Reid, now 71 years-old, is facing a difficult battle for reelection in November and a window that is quickly closing on his career in the Senate.
Jeff Siri, president and CEO of the Club Cal Neva said, “It would just be a stepping stone. It would stop at online poker for now, with Harry being the Senate Majority Leader. But Harry won’t be there forever and that is our concern. If you start [with online poker], somewhere down the road it won’t be just poker. It would be virtual slot machines and table games and every other form of gambling.”
In spite of the concerns in the Nevada gaming community, Reid’s support of Internet poker is important to the efforts currently underway to legalize the game and profit from its taxation. Reid is in a position to help legalize a game enjoyed by millions of Americans, while protecting the important gambling and tourism industries in his home state.
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I have valid concerns regarding this legislation…first and foremost, how can you tell American citizens that they cannot do business outside of the US? That is a monopoly..monopolies in itself is not illegal, but limiting the competition to better the US casinos is…We as American citizens have the right to choose. This is all about giving monies to struggling US casinos, you wouldn’t have my business either way, I live too far to travel to a casino, my internet play is not taking from you….if you want to even the field, which is the American way, allow US casinos to have poker sites, but make them compete for my business just like the other poker sites do…to do anything less, would not be American…You cannot legally tell someone where there monies have to go….this is so ridiculous….such unnecessary legislation, and definitely not something for the poker players, something for big business…nothing ever changes…Make them complete for my business that is the American way…to tell me that I can only do business with US casinos for three years is UnAmerican. To try to govern what I do on my computer in the privacy of my own home, when I am not infringing on others, or inhibiting others is UnAmerican..You cannot govern business outside of our country…you don’t tell me that I cannot wear a pair of Paris jeans, or a dress from Milan..this is rediculous…once again unnecessary legislation that protects big business, what about the millions, and millions of American Internet Poker Players? What about us?