Congresswoman Reaffirms Support for Online Poker

\”We\’re going to do everything we can to legalize online poker,\” said US Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) to a crowd of mostly women Friday night at the Golden Nugget. She was the opening speaker at the Women in Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and wanted to let nearly 300 attendees know that she hasn\’t wavered in her position against government interference in online poker, and now is the time for Washington DC to get Americans back online.

Berkley, who declared her intent to run for US Senate the day before Black Friday, was one of the few representatives to call the UIGEA \”a travesty\” at the time of its passage and one of the first to jump on board to co-sponsor Joe Barton\’s (R-TX) post-Black Friday online poker bill.

\”There\’s no reason people shouldn\’t be playing online. It will be good for the 26 million poker players … it will be good for our country, and it\’s going be good for our economy,\” she said. \”We\’ve got to get this piece of legislation passed!\”

Have a listen to what all she had to say in Las Vegas before heading back to DC:

Shelley Berkley at the Women in Poker Hall of Fame 2011
4:58
[audio: http://old.pokerati.com/podcast/pokerati-raw/ShelleyBerkley_wiphof.mp3]

Here\’s the YouTube video she references, where she balks at the Port Security Act\’s prohibition of online poker as a shameful partisan angle-shoot (despite support for the measure by one of her biggest corporate constituents in Harrah\’s).

And here is a piece in today\’s New York Times that takes an in-depth look at the distinguished gentlewoman from Nevada\’s political career. The story questions plausible conflicts of interest with her husband\’s medical practice, but also reveals a certain level of political strength and savvy to make things happen when she wants them to.

I had long been rather meh about Berkley — thinking of her as kinda like Judge Judy, with maybe a little less authority and power. Sure, she supported various online poker bills, but that just seemed obv for any distinguished gentlewoman from Nevada. But the more I hear from her, the more I warm to her. For as much of a DC insider as she\’s become, she might be one of the few who plays the poli-game as she has to but still crafts her lawmakering out of core beliefs moreso than the political gusts of big financial backers. At least that\’s what I wanna believe the more I pay attention to her. But maybe it\’s just the new hair …