Trouble is brewing for the nascent regulated online gambling hopes growing legs across the U.S. today.
According to a candid admission straight from Sen. Harry Reid, the prominent Nevada lawmaker is receptive of Sheldon Adelson’s efforts to outlaw online gambling in the U.S. — even poker.
Reid said in an interview Monday that if he isn’t able to get an exemption for poker from a proposed ban of online gaming making its way through Congress, he would consider supporting a full online gaming ban.
“Unless we can get something done with poker, I’m going to look closely — I haven’t made up my mind — but I’m going to look closely into banning it totally,” Reid is quoted by The Las Vegas Sun. “I’m going to take a hard look at it. It would be something I would certainly consider strongly.”
Reid, of course, once famously worked to help make legalized online poker a reality.
“I worked very hard to get online poker,” he said. “I thought (it) would be great for the state of Nevada, it’s something that is done recreationally around the world. I thought it would be great for Nevada to get it controlled. That didn’t work, could not get it done.”
Regardless of Reid’s change of heart, it remains to be seen if both houses of Congress and the President would pass such a measure to kill online gambling from coast to coast. According to most analysts, such an outcome is by no means likely.
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