Sen Reid to Introduce Online Poker Legalization Bill?

There's a story on the Wall Street Journal about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) potentially introducing a bill that would legalize online poker. Read the story for more details.


Some notes and thoughts:

I don't foresee this passing anytime soon. They are currently in a lame duck session of congress, with republicans to control the house shortly and republicans in the senate digging in their heels in regards to passing any legislation, let alone something that they've been against for so long.

Its interesting that the Nevada casinos seem to be behind this. I was under the impression that they were against online gambling and felt it might dilute their brand. Why fly all the way to Vegas when you can gamble from the comfort of your living room? (Because Vegas is awesome, that's why.)

The article mentions that there may be a rider that only established casinos (B & M I assume) to operate online for the first two years. The cynic in me says this is because those casinos helped him survive a close election a month ago and this is payback. Although since these casinos don't already have poker software I would think they might struggle to compete with existing sites like FullTilt and PokerStars.

I wonder if Harrahs or some other casino would buy or partner with an existing site to get their player base? FullTilt poker brought to you by Harrahs, or MGM Online Poker powered by PokerStars? I wonder how much money it would take for the existing sites to make that deal. If the commissions I earn on the few referrals I've made are any indication, those site's aren't exactly in need of a lot of cash. Speaking of which, have you tried FullTilt or PokerStars recently? You should. You should also use bonus code POKERWORDS or click on the links above.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com