interesting article, read the full thing here. Some excerpts (gotta love "the young, the weak and the vulnerable" line!):
Staffers for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are circulating a bill to legalize poker playing on the Internet that's backed by large casino interests.
On Wednesday, three Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Mr. Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) opposing any efforts to pass Internet poker legislation during the lame-duck session.
"Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues to cover more government spending," Rep. Spencer Bachus (R., Ala.), the ranking Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee and others wrote.
Mr. Reid, who has opposed online gambling in the past, is holding his cards close to his vest regarding plans to move forward with the legislation. Passing such a measure is highly uncertain as the heated session winds down, given the sensitive nature of the subject.
Previous attempts at online-gambling legislation haven't moved forward, but casino interests believe that given Mr. Reid's powerful position atop the Senate, he might be able to push the poker measure into another bill, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The legislation would overturn a bill passed in 2006 that bans financial institutions from processing online-gambling transactions.
Staffers for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are circulating a bill to legalize poker playing on the Internet that's backed by large casino interests.
On Wednesday, three Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Mr. Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) opposing any efforts to pass Internet poker legislation during the lame-duck session.
"Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues to cover more government spending," Rep. Spencer Bachus (R., Ala.), the ranking Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee and others wrote.
Mr. Reid, who has opposed online gambling in the past, is holding his cards close to his vest regarding plans to move forward with the legislation. Passing such a measure is highly uncertain as the heated session winds down, given the sensitive nature of the subject.
Previous attempts at online-gambling legislation haven't moved forward, but casino interests believe that given Mr. Reid's powerful position atop the Senate, he might be able to push the poker measure into another bill, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The legislation would overturn a bill passed in 2006 that bans financial institutions from processing online-gambling transactions.
