Anyone who bet against the US Congress’ ability to pass the Reid-Kyl online poker bill can go ahead and cash in their tickets. On Friday, Nevada Senator Harry Reid announced that the efforts to push the bill into law this session were all but done.
Reid told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there simply wasn’t enough time left on the calendar to muster up the votes needed to turn the bill into a law:
I am disappointed…but remain committed to this issue and it will be a priority for us in the new Congress.
Reid’s been under heavy pressure from high powered gaming interests to get a bill passed before too many other states legalize Internet gambling.
These companies are hoping to sidestep a patchwork of state licenses and regulations in favor of one national standard. (Which, if Reid gets his way, will be based on the Nevada regulatory/licensing model.)
Several gaming industry sources quoted in the LVJR expressed optimism that some version of Reid-Kyl would be passed during the 2013 session.
Do you think Congress will ever pass a Federal online poker bill? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.