thank God harry reid is pushing for internet gambling

:sarcasm:


Harry Reid Pushing to Legalize Online Gambling


As a lame-duck Congress winds down and a small army of Democratic legislators prepare to vacate their offices in Washington, U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is quietly pushing a bill that would legalize online gambling.

Such a law would handsomely benefit Reid’s own state, where gambling is the biggest industry. Currently off-shore operators of Internet poker and gambling websites reap an estimated $5 billion annually from cyber-casinos, and some of Reid’s constituents, who operate the nation’s largest casinos, naturally want their hefty piece of the pie.

While four years ago Congress passed legislation banning banks and credit card companies from transferring payments to gambling websites, proponents of online poker hope they still have a window of opportunity to overturn the ban and legalize Internet gaming through the support of lame-duck Democrats. Earlier this year the House Financial Services Committee signed off on a bill that would establish regulatory oversight for online gambling.

But Three Republican House members recently wrote to Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to express their opposition to the bill, citing the harm online gambling would inflict on individuals and families. “Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak, and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues to cover more government spending,” wrote Representatives Spencer Bachus (Alabama), Dave Camp (Michigan), and Lamar Smith (Texas).

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/5468-harry-reid-pushing-to-legalize-online-gambling:sarcasm:

Truth serum would probably reveal he knows it doesn't have a prayer of passing.

Gaming, in some form or another, is legal in all but two states of the union.

Nevada has an express Internet prohibition - i.e., they have a law that specifically denies legal internet gaming. Granted, the reason they have it is the same reason they don't have a state lottery (cuts into casino revenue) . . . but they have it.

Alabama, Michigan, and Texas do NOT have that law.

They all have legal gaming of some sort. Alabama allows charitable (read that as bingo, which is often hardly charitable), pari-mutuel (pool betting, usually sport or racing), and Indian casinos; Michigan allows all forms of gaming, including commerical casinos; Texas allows charitable, pari-mutuel, lotteries, and racetrack gaming.

Pot, meet kettle.

“Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak, and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues to cover more government spending,” wrote Representatives Spencer Bachus (Alabama), Dave Camp (Michigan), and Lamar Smith (Texas).

Taking advantage of the young weak and vulnerable is what Republicans are all about isn't it?