Reid Unlikely to Hold Trump Card in Push for Internet Gambling

Only Real Honest True Unbiased Local, World & US News |Even with the backing of such political high rollers as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the push to expand legal Internet gambling in the United States looks to face much longer odds in the more heavily Republican Congress.

Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, came up short last month during the congressional lame-duck session in his bid to allow U.S. casino companies to establish Internet poker sites and give them a cut of the multibillion-dollar offshore industry. Mr. Reid is poised to try again this year, but his path may be blocked by Rep. Spencer Bachus, the Alabama Republican who has been named chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and other GOP lawmakers who appear steadfast about keeping online betting illegal in the U.S.

"This is a huge priority for Spencer," said a top House GOP staffer.

In fact, if Mr. Bachus addresses Internet gambling in the 112th Congress, such action would focus on examining the effectiveness of existing laws and making them tougher, the staffer said.

A wide range of U.S. business interests are scrambling to reboot in the face of the major power shift on Capitol Hill after the midterm elections.

Mr. Reid's re-election in November heartened the gambling industry, but the overall results presented a mixed bag, industry watchers say.

"If 2010 is any sign of what's to come in the future for online poker, the only thing that is really for certain is that the road is a long, bumpy one and the legalization of online poker will be very difficult to come by," reported PokerNews.com.

The Off Shore Gaming Association, in its year-end policy roundup, noted, "The results certainly weren't ideal, but the fact that Mr. Reid has remained as Senate majority leader and the fact that the Republicans didn't win control of both houses lends some hope to gambling's future in the upcoming years."

A 2006 law essentially banned banks from transmitting payments between bettors and gambling operations. The Democrat-controlled Congress helped delay full implementation of the law until last year. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, Massachusetts Democrat, pushed a bill during the summer that would have effectively overturned the law by legalizing online poker and other non-sports wagering.

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