US senator for Nevada
Harry Reid failed last month in his bid to push online gambling legalisation through the US Congress during the "lame duck" session; according to The Washington Times:
The good senator is a former opponent to online gambling who has now, it seems, done a volte-face in favour of legalisation. This u-turn may not be entirely altruistic, as further into the above article we read the following regarding Reid's election campaign funding:
By the time Mr. Reid eked out a win on Nov. 2, he had received at least $650,000 from several Las Vegas casino companies, including MGM Resorts International, which owns the Bellagio, and Harrah's Entertainment, whose holdings include Caesars Palace.
MGM and Harrahs are both looking to establish an online presence if and when it becomes legally possible and can only benefit from pro-gambling lobbying. Of course, Senator Reid's new, favourable stance may be entirely unconnected to the receipt of the better part of three quarters of a million dollars from gambling corporations into his election fund. But that seems fairly unlikely. As noted by
Politico:
...his critics have blasted his bill as political payback to the big casino interests that would reap millions of dollars from online poker and that helped him win reelection last month.
However, putting aside the heavy vested interests of these campaign contributors, the failure to get the bill through Congress and the appointment of arch gambling opponent
Spencer Bachus to the chair of the
Financial Services Committee leaves the prospect of US federal online gambling legalisation looking something of a pipe dream.
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