In the exhausting hemming-and-hawing going in both the mainstream and iPoker media, there is only one topic on a bigger heater than when is this effing thing going be over if the #reidbill hand is still live.
Is the \”Reid Online Poker\” gonna be attached to the tax cut bill, or what?
Politico reported this morning that when \”74-page tax cut bill was officially introduced late Thursday, it did not include the poker language.\” But without owning the Las Vegas Sun\’s political Ouija board, all I can say is that there is still a chance this could happen.
Reid could still insert the poker legalization into the tax cut bill if additional modifications are made before a final vote is cast sometime next week. Or he could slip the plan into a mammoth $1 trillion omnibus spending bill that has yet to be unveiled but is necessary to keep the government funded through September. Any option is certain to generate backlash from the GOP.
Reid issued a statement confirming that he is crafting legislation to legalize online poker, framing the effort as a common-sense measure to regulate and tax gambling occurring through offshore companies.
The legislation I am working on would get our collective heads out of the sand and create a strict regulatory environment to protect U.S. consumers, prevent underage gambling and respect the decisions of states that don’t allow gambling, he said.
He asserted his bill would ensure \”the revenue and jobs from this multibillion-dollar industry will stay where it belongs here in America.\”
Seems like the tax-cut bill and the bazillion dollar CR (continuing resolution) omnibus are still both viable conduits for the #reidbill, but *no one* can truly say at this point how-when-or-if the internet poker legislation will pass.
So take a deep breath and pull up a comfortable chair at the virtual poli-rail, because to quote one fatigued tweeter named @MSauce_-> \”The #ReidBill sweat is so swingy.\”
