Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––like a new Pearl Harbor.

Pipa is losing its foundation support now. Its tainted.

Ipoker legislation is good so we don't want to get dragged under the bus with that.

I don't really know exactly what Frist's intent was back when he attached UIGEA to Port Security. Was he taking a moral ground (making a stand against evil in his mind) or was it merely to get votes from a particular sector of the population (more self-serving).

Regardless, the level of intent (or the desire behind it) got it done.

Do we see that same level of intent here? Or does the situation not exist for that level of intent to exist?

Cliffs: Will the people working on this bill work just as hard to get it through as Frist did with UIGEA?

Likely not, because Frist felt that getting UIGEA passed would help win him votes for a presidential bid. No one is operating under the delusion that passing poker regulation will get them the Presidency.

Yea, when Frist jammed that bill through congress in general was much more opposed to online gaming than they are today. So not only was he stopping evil, but he also believed that he was making a big step forward personally within the Republican party.

Attach what bill? Why is anyone pretending the opposition within the B&M industry has stopped blocking attachment? Why work people into a lather with false hope before the internal quarreling in the gaming industry is resolved? Reid will not force anything through without most of those interests, you know the ones with $ and clout, settled on a compromise.

There is no bill, and no chance until.

With the DoJ ruling, the clock is ticking. All parties interested in a federal bill know they'll need to get their ducks in a row very soon and get that done before states move in on it.

Good point.

IT seems like if Reid thought he was going to be able to pass a bill he would have proposed a bill by now. Reid must know getting a bill passed is a long shot and there's plenty of resistance in getting a his kind of federal bill done. He floated his proposed bill once and for whatever reason it wasn't accepted, he likely puts the idea out every now and again to test the waters but isn't likely to make a move unless he knows he can get it done. There's no reason to believe Reid is going to try and attach a bill he never said this is what he's planning on doing. Funny how every time congress has a bill that may come up for a vote everyone thinks this will be the bill Reid attaches online poker on.

Frankly a federal bill was always a long shot but was worth pursuing with little happening elsewhere. But now after the DOJ letter and states starting to move on online gambling it seems less likely congress will want to get involved regulating gambling/poker. At best Congress might pass some sort of enabling legislation making it clear that states can enter into interstate and/or international compacts.

There's just too many competing interests(B&M casinos,card rooms,HR,lottery,states,tribes,etc) all fighting and unable to comprise for congress to get a bill sorted in any reasonable time frame. It just easier Esp after the DOJ letter for congress to stay out of regulating gaming/gambling/poker even on the internet and leave it up to the traditional gambling regulators in the states.

How much time has the PPA spent, daily, trying to bring multiple interests to the table to find a compromise or alliance? I still have not seen any incidence in the press of PPA outreach to any other gaming concerns in regards to joint effort.

PPA has spent significant time on this.

I don't know what we can announce prior to any agreements being made.

Dysfunctional Congress A Reid/Kyl Roadblock, Says Fahrenkopf

the calm before the ****storm

I was hoping the tax cuts next month would be a good shot but it doesn't look that way.

We might just have to be patient and wait for lame duck it seems.

i find whittling passes the time nicely

With so many states jumping right on the DoJ revised opinion, will Kyl be more likely to get federal legislation done, or less likely?

At first, I thought more likely. But with so many states interested, maybe Kyle will determine it's too much for the feds to deal with and the states should make their own laws.

I mean, if he thinks he can make online casino games illegal, he's going to have to move FAST or not at all, right?

This all just seems so messy right now.

I think less just because you are going to have tribes and lotteries putting pressure on to kill Federal legislation now that there is a path to Intrastate.

Maybe a Federal bill clarifying that intrastate providers can hook up becomes more likely, but not sure the existing interests supporting our cause on Capitol Hill want to go that route.

Action this session remains a real long shot.

he's been a proponent of federal prohibitions on online gambling in the past...

it sucks that we have a short history with our issue, but he's batting 1.000 for it right now. unless you count last december as being stopped by him. you know what, forget it. he has, though.

Based on the current climate of the Senate, I think it is very unlikely any type of legislation, (much less poker), will be passed by a bi-partisan effort anytime soon UNLESS it's something non-controversial that both sides plainly agree on. (Poker does not qualify by both of those categories).

Even IF something passed the Senate, I think getting the House to play ball could be a difficult task. This part is pure speculation, but given the House v. Senate power grabs we saw end of December, expecting the House to rubber stamp a Reid/NV-benefiting bill even WITH Kyl's support would be optimistic.

I think passing poker legislation itself is a lost cause in the current Congressional environment. We have to pray they can agree to pass something and make it a rider.

If Gingrich wins the nomination it could easily turn into 1968 Barry Goldwater slaughter where he drags down several other candidates as well. A democrat congress + Obama = Nuts.

Ummmm....no. Obama had a near supermajority for his first two years in office and still had trouble getting any kind of legislation passed.

Waaaay to early to speculate on the lame duck or the elections for that matter. At this point it's still our best hope.

Tax cuts next month are looking kind of weak.

Except for that _____________ piece of legislation now routinely referred to as "Obama Care." You are allowed to fill in your own expletive in the blank; debate over the proper expletive belongs in the politics forum.

Yet all will agree that the route to passage of that legislation was an eye-opener for all as to how things get done. And the sight was not pretty.

The moral of the story is that anything can happen in DC.

Some legislation has to be passed, even by this most dysfunctional Congress.

And I think too few of you are realizing just how NON-controversial any bill (or, more likely, rider/attachment) sponsored by BOTH Kyl and Reid would be to most other members of Congress.

But bi-partisan online poker is, I admit, one of the least important aspects of the whole partisan dance consuming current politics.

Skallagrim