Rumours that Senator Harry Reid, the influential Nevada politician who leads the Democrats in the US Senate, is taking a softer view of federally legalized online gambling were dashed by an official statement from his office this week.
Answering an enquiry from the Bola Verde Media Group, the Senator’s staff said unequivocally: “Senator Reid has long had concerns about Internet gaming. He does not support any of the existing bills and he would oppose any proposal that would put jobs in Nevada at risk.”
The statement clearly refers to federal bills such as those of Congressmen Barney Frank, Jim McDermott and Senator Menendez seeking to legalise and tax online gambling in the United States. As such the statement must be seen as a disappointing development for the industry.
Earlier this year the industry was buoyed by the news that the National Football League, long an opponent of internet gambling, had dropped its opposition to the Frank bill. The NFL changed its position after an amendment was added to the proposed bill by two New York Representatives, Republican Peter King and Democrat Gregory Meeks, which specifically excluded internet sports betting from being federally regulated.