Harry Reid tries to add online poker to tax bill (help me Obi Wan)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to use the tax cut package President Barack Obama brokered with Republicans to legalize online poker, POLITICO has learned — a move that could further complicate the deal Obama announced Monday.

Already, the online poker proposal has exposed the Nevada Democrat to charges of flip-flopping on a controversial issue,as well as using his Senate leadership position to repay big casino interests that helped him win reelection in a hard-fought campaign against Republican Sharron Angle last month.



Reid, who has previously opposed online gambling, declined to comment Monday through a spokesman.

But Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), as well as several senior congressional sources and gambling lobbyists, confirmed that Reid and his staff have reached out to other Senate offices to try to build support for adding the online poker legislation — a draft of which POLITICO has obtained — to a measure extending the Bush-era tax cuts.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46095.html#ixzz17UwYpaPh

Why would Nevadans want to legalize online gambling?

If it were legalized they would have sites up within the hour.

The major casino have no problem with online casinos..... as long as they are the ones running the online casinos. They just don't want ebil foreigners running online casinos.

No doubt the bill has a carve out. Something like the casino must be hosted in the US in a locality that allows legal physical gambling..... oh yeah that just happens to be Nevada (along with handful of other areas).

puts something in a bill and won't comment on it.