- Reid floated drafts of a federal bill that would outlaw all interstate i-gambling except i-poker.
- The Barton bill would make all interstate i-gambling illegal under federal law except i-poker.
- Ceasars and MGM established an astroturf political organization whose first principle is to strengthen the Wire Act and the UIGEA.
- Kyl is negotiating a bill with Reid to outlaw all interstate i-gambling except i-poker.
- The PPA backs most any federal interstate anti-gambling bill that has a carveout for i-poker.
Why are poker players up in arms about a Republican presidential candidate who says they are against i-gambling?
IMO, the casinos want non-intrastate gambling expressly outlawed under federal law, to give the federal govt the enforcement tools necessary to shut off offshore casino-game i-gambling. The US casinos can operate intrastate-only casino i-gambling where it will benefit only their casinos. They don't need interstate and foreign for casino-game i-gambling.
IMO, at the same time the casinos want federally-authorized interstate and international licensed i-poker as i-poker needs combined player pools for liquidity. Plus, the i-poker market is established internationally and the US casinos want their portion of the market. And, i-poker has been shown to increase foot traffic to b&m casinos.
At this point, the Republican anti-gambling stance is good for i-poker players, in terms of gaining a licensed and regulated interstate/international competitive market operated by US casinos.