Via Instapundit, the Politico is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to add language permitting online gambling to the tax compromise negotiated between the GOP and the President. This is a reversal for Reid, who was opposed to online gambling, right up to the point where certain casinos (who are now in favor of the legislation) dumped at least 500K into Reid’s re-election campaign. It is also precisely the sort of greedy trough-swilling that we’ve come to know, expect, and even kind of count on from the Democrats in the 111th Congress: I can’t imagine how a progressive could feel comfortable about this sort of tacit surrender by the Democratic leadership on the issue of hiking taxes. Reid isn’t trying to to scupper the legislation: he’s trying to take advantage of it in order to pay off two campaign contributors. He’s also doing it in a fairly clumsy fashion, but then nobody’s ever accused Harry Reid at being particularly good at his job.
The odds that this will pass are slim, by the way: there’s almost certainly enough Senate votes to prevent cloture and the House GOP will balk en masse. Which means that Harry Reid is pretty much wasting people’s time with this, during a session that’s already being overloaded by all the demands being made on it by panicky Democrats…
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: As to the actual merits of the legislation… I am uninterested in online gambling one way or the other. But if I were interested, I am reasonably confident that I wouldn’t be changing my opinion to reflect sizable political contributions on my behalf. In this I am different from the Senate Majority Leader. Different. Better.
Moe Lane
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
Jeff Emanuel
Yes you are Moe....a LOT better. (sorry for the caps) nt
chbroussard (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 2:12PM EDT (link)Yes you are Moe....a LOT better. (sorry for the caps) nt
chbroussard (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 2:12PM EDT (link)From what I hear this bill is a total joke
Neil Stevens (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 2:20PM EDT (link)I’m told it creates a year long moratorium, for the sole purpose of clearing out PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker from the market so that Harrah’s, oh sorry it’s Caesar’s again, can swoop in with the WSOP brand unchallenged.
RS contributing editor and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
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Basically the bill is a nightmare for pro online poker players (nt)
Neil Stevens (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 2:21PM EDT (link)RS contributing editor and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
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“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
Do you expect anything other than a total joke
PowerToThePeople (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:04PM EDT (link)from the likes of Sen Reid? We should all expect him to keep those happy who manipulated his win this last election.
You hit the nail on the head Neil
pdawk Wednesday, December 8th at 3:33PM EDT (link)The truth of the matter is that they should go ahead and allow online poker play because there is nothing in place right now that has any teeth that keeps you from getting money in and out of Poker Stars or Full Tilt. Plenty of potential tax revenue being shipped to Antigua instead of used at home.
The Vegas casinos know that the only way to get a foot in the market is to eliminate the market. The idea that the purpose of the law is to punish those who continued to operate is nothing but a front for creating business for Harry’s bedfellows.
From a pro poker player, yes, it is a joke
Mahler Wednesday, December 8th at 5:45PM EDT (link)Not only does it have a 15 month moratorium on all sites after enactment (essentially pink-slipping me and tens of thousands of others like me), but after that only ‘established’ casinos will be allowed to receive licensing; Pokerstars and FTP (the two big boys of the market) have to wait an additional 2 years on top of the 15 months before they could be licensed. Essentially, it gives a monopoly to the big casino companies. The idea that this bill is about the rights of online gamblers is simply laughable; it’s about Harry Reid lining his contributors’ pockets.
The funny thing is that, without government interference, those two sites have reached a pretty nice market equilibrium, and take far less rake (the house take) and offer far more bonuses than the ‘legitimate, legal, regulated’ casinos I’ve played in in Vegas, Florida, and Indiana.
I was considered a pro player myself back years ago,
PowerToThePeople (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 6:26PM EDT (link)although my pro title came from my absolute pro ability to lose consistently. Wife made me retire, hence relinquishing my pro status.
Ho-ho-ho-hum!
Adjoran (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 2:30PM EDT (link)Reid’s been carrying water for the Vegas mob (casinos and unions) since he’s been in Washington. How do you think his kids and cronies get all those plum jobs?
I recieved an email from The National Poker Alliance
LisaDe (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:10PM EDT (link)Asking me to call my Senator to tell them to vote yes on the Poker legislation. Although I am a member and I completely agree that Online Poker should be legalized and regulated in America, I definitely would NOT call my Senator at this time for this. Only when the Republicans take up the issue normally would I ever push for it. Harry Reids dirty dealings should be thrown out.
I thought it wierd timing when I recieved the email, but through Redstate understood that this had Harry Reids filthy fingerprints all over it.
Never heard of them
Neil Stevens (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:16PM EDT (link)But I know a lot of people who backed the PPA, which sold itself out to whatever massive regulatory scheme Barney Frank could dream up, are feeling betrayed right now.
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The PPA was not well organized
pdawk Wednesday, December 8th at 3:40PM EDT (link)If there was ever a time to get something through conference and a vote before a house and senate that may actually pass legislation on gambling it was the last 2 years. It just goes to show that the Democrats not only passed crap legislation that harmed our country, they couldn’t even pass the legislation I would actually have appreciated.
I gave up on PPA when they hired D'Amato
Neil Stevens (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 4:11PM EDT (link)I seem to have been vindicated.
RS contributing editor and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
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“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
Dittos
aesthete (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:45PM EDT (link)It’ll be nice when someone in the Senate decides that online gambling legalization is a good idea, but Harry Reid and his trainwreck of a bill sure ain’t it.
“It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money.”
-P.J. O’Rourke
Online gambling
scorpio0679 (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:52PM EDT (link)I don’t see why the feds need to be making substantive policy on whether or not people should be gambling online. Can’t that be done by state law?
What I can't understand
LisaDe (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 4:04PM EDT (link)is why I can bet on the horse races online, and when requesting a payout after a win, i get a check and a tax form. Not sure why this is alright and regulated etc through Churchill Downs nice and simple and Poker is just a big crazy mess.
Thats it Niel, mistyped
LisaDe (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:23PM EDT (link)National Poker Players Alliance. The email is on my home computer, I’m at work. I get them mixed up. Yes, it has been all Barney Frank for a couple of years now. Not sure how guys like Daniel Negranue and Gus Hanson and the rst will fair if this goes thru the way Reid is giving a monopoly to Ceasars. Its a joke. I wish there was one Republican that would wise up and grab a big piece of the voting pie!
Mispelled your name too! Sorry! nt
LisaDe (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 3:24PM EDT (link)Arggghhh! Of all the Senators I wanted to
runner12 (Diary) Wednesday, December 8th at 4:18PM EDT (link)see go down, he was my number one choice. This guy is as corrupt as they come and I cannot believe the people of Nevada re-elected this guy. I don’t care who was or was not the conservative candidate. At this point, Bugs Bunny would have made a better Senator compared to this clown. What were they thinking in Nevada? Someone please tell me.
"This guy is as corrupt as they come and I cannot believe the people of Nevada re-elected this guy"
seattlebruce Wednesday, December 8th at 8:53PM EDT (link)The ‘people’ of NV may not have re-elected this guy. That’s what they worked hard to create the impression of. Bussing people in and basically forcing them to vote for somone as a condition of employment does not sound like a sound election process (among other corruptions – voting machines maintained by unions in dirty Harry’s pocket, etc.)
Pay back
Viator Wednesday, December 8th at 6:49PM EDT (link)“Reid won re-election with the backing of Nevada’s biggest gaming operators. For example, Caesars Entertainment facilitated union efforts to drive up voter turnout among members. And MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren endorsed Reid in campaign ads.”
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/07/reid-pushes-online-poker-bill/
About 75% of all Nevada voters live in Clark County.
“Executives at the casino giant Harrah’s pushed company employees to vote early in an all-out effort to help the Harry Reid campaign, according to internal emails obtained by Battle ‘10.”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/casinos-gamble-harry-reid_514570.html
“Casino companies were among Reid’s biggest campaign donors in the last election. MGM Resorts International, through its employees and political action committee, donated $192,000 to his campaign, the most of any single company, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Meanwhile, employees and the PAC at Harrah’s Entertainment chipped in an additional $83,100. Harrah’s recently changed its name to Caesars Entertainment Corp.”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Reid-pushes-bill-to-allow-for-apf-1163515067.html?x=0&.v=6
"Which means that Harry Reid is pretty much wasting people’s time with this"
seattlebruce Wednesday, December 8th at 8:29PM EDT (link)With this, and with everything else in his dirty little hands. How annoying he’s still got the power to do that.
Online Gambling be Dammed
electroncollector Wednesday, December 8th at 8:54PM EDT (link)What with the news just out about the ethanol subsidies being extended as part of the tax deal? Can anyone throw some light on the subject?