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Illinois senators, seeking a big solution to a bigger problem, approved a major expansion of casino gambling Wednesday.

The proposal to add five state-regulated casinos, expand existing ones by two-thirds, and give horse racing tracks slot machines, would generate $1 billion annually in new tax revenue for a state suffering a deficit of as much as $15 billion, proponents say.

But it still must get through the House and a skeptical Gov. Pat Quinn.

The Democratic governor said earlier Wednesday he didn't know the details of the legislation, but said what he'd heard about it made it sound unacceptably "top-heavy."

The proposal's sponsor, Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, who has proposed past gambling expansions that have failed because of their size, acknowledged the proposal is "huge."

"But we've got a huge deficit in the state of Illinois. We have huge problems," Link said. "You don't look at little things to fix it. You look at big things to fix it."

The vote was 31-20 in the Senate to allow four new riverboat casinos — in Rockford, Danville, the northern Chicago suburb of Park City, and a south suburb yet to be named — along with a land-based gambling house in Chicago.

The state's nine existing casinos could immediately add wagering positions for 400 patrons, to 1,600 each, and another 400 in 2013.

And six tracks for horse racing, an industry that has suffered in the 20-year history of riverboat casinos, would be able to add slot machines. Three of these "racinos" would be in Cook County and three elsewhere.

Chicago-area tracks could put in 1,200 slot machines each; up to 900 would be allowed for the other racing stations.

Money from those slot machines would significantly boost horse-racing purses, revitalizing a sagging industry in which Illinois was once a national leader, advocates say.

Quinn said he hadn't seen the legislation and wouldn't say whether he supported it. But, he said, "I'm not for a top-heavy expansion of gambling." He did not elaborate.

Republicans, too, bemoaned the sheer size of the bill.

"This is a gigantic bill, a huge package," said Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale. He voted "yes" because of the concessions to horse racing interests. But he suggested Republicans would demand more say in the final package, anticipating changes in the House that would require Senate concurrence.

We take a look at both sides of the local gambling coin. First the proponent-sided story from our 5pm.

The prospects of a casino coming to Rockford are higher than they've been in at least five years after the Illinois Senate approved a bill to bring five new casinos to the land of Lincoln. There seems to be a growing optimism of what gambling could bring to the Stateline. Jobs, business, and tourism dollars. Three things on a long list of positives that local unions are saying will follow a casino to Rockford. Illinois' senate approved a bill 31 to 20 that will bring four new riverboats and one land based casino to the state. It's a move aimed at tackling the growing deficit while bringing new developments for new casino communities.

Opponents say bringing a casino to Rockford would cause the local population to take up gambling, but Darrin Golden with Rockford's electrical union says Northern Illinoisans are already frequenting the slots.

"Take a run up I-90, up into Wisconsin, you can see that we're losing revenue. Any of the casinos in that area you take a look around the parking lots and see their cars, they're all from Illinois."

Before going to Governor Quinn the bill must still be approved by the Illinois house which isn't set to see it until early January.

Also the opponent-sided story from our 10pm.

Increasing public safety dollars could be a priority if a casino comes to town. Rockford area unions and our state senator approve of Illinois' gaming bill, but opponents believe a casino would hurt more than help.

Five new Illinois casinos could be on there way including one right here in Rockford. Supporters believe jobs, tourism dollars and business development that could follow are more than enough reasons to welcome a casino with open arms, but a local anti-gambling group feels they're ignoring a different cost to our community.

"It's going to increase the social problems, it's going to increase the foreclosures, it's going to increase the families that are destroyed by an addiction to gambling."

Lee Schreiner and his group "Enough is Enough" have been fighting gambling in the Stateline since 1991. They feel it takes advantage of gaming addicts and the poor and would drive tourism away from Rockford as a result.

Rockford's city council passed a resolution in support of the gaming bill, but Mayor Larry Morrissey has not taken a strong stance either way. He believes a casino is still a long ways off.

"The governor's already spoken out he's got concerns about this bill. It's not even started really working its way through the house so there's a long way to go in terms of seeing this thing move. Nothing may happen from it but we know we want to be part of those conversations."

If the gaming bill faces no opposition the soonest it could be approved by the house and on Governor Quinn's desk would be this January.

Three U.S. House Republicans are objecting to what they call a “secretive, closed-door, undemocratic” effort in the Senate to pass legislation that would legalize and tax some Internet gambling before Congress adjourns this year.

Representatives Spencer Bachus, Dave Camp and Lamar Smith, all in line to be committee chairmen with oversight of online gambling when Republicans take control of the House in January, said they have learned that the Senate may attach a measure to “must-pass” legislation during the current lame-duck session.

“Creating a federal right to gamble that has never existed in our country’s history and imposing an unprecedented new tax regime on such activity require careful deliberation, not back- room deals,” the lawmakers said in a Dec. 1 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Internet gambling has provoked heated debate in Congress over the past few years. Proponents say regulating online poker and other games would bring billions into federal coffers, while opponents contend that it would encourage Americans to make poor financial choices and could open the market to children.

A House committee in July approved legislation that would legalize some Internet gambling, allowing U.S. residents to place online wagers with companies the Treasury Department has licensed. It has not been taken up by the full House or in the Senate.

Processing Payments

The House measure, sponsored by Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would override a law designed to block such betting. That law, which was enacted in 2006 and took effect in June, bars banks from processing payments to offshore gambling websites.

The Senate legislation is similar to Frank’s bill. The House proposal requires licensed gambling companies to have safeguards to protect against underage and compulsive gambling and to prevent people from placing bets online in states that prohibit it.

Reid, of Nevada, has large gambling interests in his state. A spokesman for Reid, Jim Manley, said in an e-mail that he had no comment.

The three House opponents -- Bachus of Alabama, Camp of Michigan and Smith of Texas -- are in line to be chairmen of the Financial Services Committee, the Ways and Means Committee and the Judiciary Committee, respectively. Each panel would have some jurisdiction over the measure.

“We also are concerned that this new rush to embrace Internet casino gambling might be partially motivated by one of the gravest sins that afflicts this Congress: desperation for more tax dollars to pay for ever-increasing federal spending,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “Congress should not take advantage of the young, the weak and the vulnerable in the name of new revenues.”

Approving such controversial legislation by attaching it to another bill would be “a secretive, closed-door, undemocratic process,” they said.

Statistics released today show New Zealanders' overall gambling expenditure in 2009/10 decreased by 5.7% on the previous year.

Spending on the main forms of gambling decreased from $2.028 billion in 2008/09 to $1.913 billion, Department of Internal Affairs Gambling Policy Manager John Markland said.

Gambling expenditure reached a peak of $2.039 billion in 2003/04.

"Spending was up on TAB betting ( 3.4%), but down on Lotteries Commission products (-14.25), non-casino gaming machines (-4.5%) and casino gambling (5.8%)," Markland said.

Markland said the increase in TAB racing and sports betting was due largely to increased sports betting, particularly betting as a result of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in June/July this year.

"While there was a 14.2% decrease for Lotteries Commission products on last year's record expenditure figure (which was mainly due to record sales for two unusually large jackpot draws), the figure is still the second highest ever for the Lotteries Commission."

"Spending on non-casino gaming machines - the pokies - is the largest of the four main gambling sectors but that expenditure decreased from $889 million in 2008/09 to $849 million in 2009/10. One reason for this was likely to have been the continuing difficult economic conditions," he said.

The four main forms of gambling together raised around $600 million for a variety of purposes in 2009/10.

The 2011 Grammy Nominees were announced last night at CBS' 'Grammy Nominations Concert Live!' and it looks like Eminem has officially made a successful comeback, scoring the most nominations including is up for a whopping ten gramaphone statuettes including the coveted Album of the Year for "Recovery."

In the Album of the Year category, Eminem going up against Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs," Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and Lady Gaga's "The Fame Monster."

Other multiple nominees included Bruno Mars, who earned seven noms, as well as Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum, each with six. Meanwhile, the late Michael Jackson picked up a Best Male Pop Performance nomination for the track "This Is It." Released in 2009, the song is still eligible for the 2011 Grammys due to the recording Academy's window of eligibility. Jackson is up against Michael Buble, Adam Lambert, John Mayer and Bruno Mars.

If teenaged girls have anything to say about it, Justin Bieber will most likely secure the win for Best New Artist, vying for the trophy against Drake, Florence & The Machine, Mumford & Sons and Esperanza Spalding.

Eminem and Rihanna "Love the Was You Lie" is up for Record of the Year, against B.o.B.'s "Nothin' on You" as well as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind," Cee-Lo's "************************ You" and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now."

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will air Feb. 13, 2011.

Other nominees include:

Song of the Year:
"Beg Steal or Borrow," Ray LaMontagne
"************************ You," Cee-Lo
"The House that Built Me," Miranda Lambert
"Love the Way You Lie," Eminem ft. Rihanna
"Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
King of Anything, Sara Barellies
"Halo (Live)," Beyonce
"Chasing Pirates," Norah Jones
"Bad Romance," Lady Gaga
"Teenage Dream," Katy Perry

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
"Haven't Met You Yet," Michael Buble
"This Is It," Michael Jackson
"Whataya Want From Me," Adam Lambert
"Just the Way You Are," Bruno Mars
"Half of My Heart," John Mayer

Who will take home the coveted Gramophone? Bodog's oddsmakers are currently getting all your Grammy odds handicapped alongside their Oscar odds. Get all your celebrity and entertainment odds in the Bodog Sportsbook. If you need an account, Join Bodog today!

I don't know who is going to win but this sure tells me the music industry is in sad shape if that list is the best it has to offer.

The US has shown in the past that it does not have any qualms with bucking the international trade laws. That was shown most clearly in 2006, when lawmakers passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which attempted to criminalize online gambling.

Now, US lawmakers might work their way out of trouble from the UIGEA, but it may come at a bigger international price. Senator Harry Reid is supporting legislation that would, in essence, overturn the UIGEA, and allow states to regulate and run online gambling sites.

The bill, however, could come with a stiff price. Other countries within the European Union have attempted to regulate only online gaming sites licensed in their country, and the European Court of Justice has been called on to rule on the legality of keeping foreign companies out. Each country has had separate details that they have argued.

Portugal, successfully defended their right to an online gambling ban last year, when they claimed that domestic crime was up and that online gambling would create a bigger problem. The European Court accepted that claim. Cyprus is attempting to use the same reason while authorizing an online gambling ban.

Other countries, such as Italy, Spain, and France, have been told that they must allow foreign companies to operate within their boundaries. While the two issues appear different on the surface, there is one key component that the Court of Justice uses to determine their rulings, and that centers on fair international competitiveness within a market.

In the case of Portugal and Cyprus, they were attempting to completely ban online gambling. That meant that even operators in their own country would be breaking the law by offering Internet betting. In the other countries, monopolies were held within the online gambling industry, and the Court ruled accordingly.

The legislation that Reid is backing would allow US states to regulate and tax Internet gambling, but would prevent foreign companies from offering their services to US customers. If US lawmakers did pass any such legislation, they would almost certainly be in violation of international trade laws.

New Jersey senators passed an online gambling bill a couple of weeks ago that raised the same questions as the proposal being floated by Reid. In New Jersey, intrastate betting would be allowed, but only by New Jersey residents, and foreign companies would be prohibited from taking customers from New Jersey.

Surrounded all day by their cronies and handlers, a group of "yes men" hired to tell them how awesome they are, when celebrities board airplanes and things don't go their way, there is often some sort of tantrum.

It happened to Ivana Trump after she cussed out some kids on her flight; Britney Spears when she couldn't get a first class seat, and Joan Rivers, when she was questioned at security. Therefore, it seems like every few months or so, a celebrity has a hissy fit on an airplane and now, it's actor Josh Duhamel's turn. Duhamel was booted off a plane recently after a flight attendant had the audacity to ask his highness to turn off his BlackBerry.

Duhamel was on a delayed flight waiting for take off from New York to Kentucky when, according to sources, the flight attendant asked Duhamel to turn off his BlackBerry. Reportedly, the attendant asked three times and on the third time Duhamel laughed.

One passenger confided to TMZ that Duhamel was "very rude" and "taunting the attendant."

The flight attendant called for backup and the plane, which was already on the runway, turned around and went back to the gate so that Duhamel could be escorted off, further delaying the flight. You can assume Duhamel's fellow passengers were pleased. Once at the gate, two US Airways officers boarded the plane and escorted Duhamel off.

Before boarding the plane, Duhamel, who is married to singing superstar Fergie, was in the airport bar watching NFL football.

Duhamel's rep told TMZ Josh was texting on his BlackBerry about his flight being delayed. The rep acknowledged, "He's sorry.

Time is ticking away on the Democratic majority in the House, and with only a few weeks left in a lame-duck session, lawmakers on both sides, (all three sides, if considering the Tea-Party), are being forced to compromise. With many important issues ahead, Conservatives may be wise to compromise on the Internet gambling issue in the coming weeks.

Knowing they will have a majority in the House has given Conservatives a stronger voice since the mid-term elections. Even with that majority, however, the Republicans will need Democrats in the Senate to compromise in the next two years if anything major is going to be accomplished.

The one thing that Conservatives so desperately want to do in the next two years is gain the trust of the American people. Millions of Americans are skeptical of both parties, which is one reason a compromise on the Internet gambling issue could help Republicans gain the presidency back in 2012.

Online gamblers are a plenty in the US, and they are watching closely after Senator Harry Reid came out in favor of online gambling regulations this past weekend. Reid will still be in control in the Senate come next year, and the Republicans could have no greater ally while trying to push their agenda in the coming years.

If the Conservatives compromise with Reid on the online gambling issue, and allow a bill to pass regulating Internet gambling, they will gain the type of advantage that is put in a pocket in Washington and used at a later date as a return of a favor. That is the way politics works, and unless Republicans are strongly opposed to online gambling, this is an issue they should budge on.

Senator Reid is facing strong pressure from the Nevada gaming industry to get the Internet gambling bill passed. To do so would mean hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue to casinos that have struggled since the recession. That kind of save is one that could carry Reid for the rest of his political career in the state.

When something that big is on the line, lawmakers lend to sell their souls to make it happen. It is why Reid won the mid-term election after watching approval ratings plummet in recent years, and it is why he would be more inclined to sway Democrats in the Senate to vote for future Republican-proposed legislation if they saved him on this issue.

Only a couple of weeks are left before the political landscape changes, and if lawmakers in Washington are truly genuine when they say the time for bi-partisan politics has arrived, then the online gambling issue is a place to start.

It may hurt Liberals in the long run due to the favors that will be owed, but in the short term, it is a bet that both Democrats and Republicans should be digging in their pockets to make.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing behind the scenes for lame-duck legislation that would allow poker games over the Internet but restrict initial licenses to casinos and racetrack operators that have been in businesses at least five years.

Some of the biggest casino operators in Reid's home state of Nevada are eager to get a piece of the online gambling industry, which generates an estimated $5 billion a year for offshore operators.

A congressional aide familiar with the issue said Reid aides were circulating the draft legislation, and a copy of it was obtained by The Associated Press. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and did so only on condition of anonymity.

Four years ago, Congress effectively banned online gambling, passing legislation that prohibits banks and credit card companies from making payments to gambling websites. Supporters of online poker face less opposition with Democrats in charge of both chambers for another month. The House Financial Services Committee this year approved a bill that established a regulatory structure for online gambling.

Reid's office would not answer questions about the legislation.

But sensing that supporters are in a hurry to lift the ban, three leading Republicans in the House wrote to Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., this week to say they oppose any attempt to legalize Internet gambling during the current legislative session.

They said using online gaming to generate revenue for the federal government would bring social and economic harm to many 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," Republican Reps. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, Dave Camp of Michigan and Lamar Smith of Texas said in the letter. Bachus is in line to become chairman of the Financial Services Committee next month, Camp will take over the Ways and Means Committee and Smith is expected to head the Judiciary Committee. The three committees have jurisdiction over Internet gambling matters.

Most of the legislative work this year concerning online gambling has taken place in the House, where supporters say that prohibition didn't work with alcohol and it's not working with online gambling. People continue to participate but in an underground, unregulated market.

"We are not talking about an activity that harms others where we properly step in," Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the current Financial Services chairman, said at a hearing this year. "We are talking about a decision by adults to do what they want with their own money."

Under the draft legislation circulated to various Senate offices, states and Indian tribes would oversee regulation of the online poker license-holders.

Casino companies were among Reid's biggest campaign donors in the last election. MGM Resorts International, through its employees and political action committee, donated $192,000 to his campaign, the most of any single company, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Meanwhile, employees and the PAC at Harrah's Entertainment chipped in an additional $83,100. Harrah's recently changed its name to Caesars Entertainment Corp.

Poker's popularity has soared in recent years, with casinos around the country regularly sponsoring poker tournaments, some of which are shown on television. The winner of this year's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas won nearly $9 million. The tournament featured more than 7,300 players willing to pay a $10,000 entry fee.

With online poker, players generally deposit money into an account through their credit card. They join a table with other players following along on their computer. A software program deals cards to each participant. And when it's time to bet, the program automatically prompts a player to bet, hold or fold. The program also keeps a running tab of how many chips a player accumulates or lose. When players have finished their game, they click on a cashier tab that shows how much a player's account has increased or decreased.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Online gambling in America is estimated to be worth over $5 billion to offshore investors.

It's a huge amount of revenue for those able to run websites from outside the country.

Four years ago legislation was passed that prohibited American Casinos and others involving in the gaming industry from operating online gambling in the US.

Today a push to change the law has been disclosed as draft legislation is planned to be introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The aim of the legislation is to open the industry to allow licensed organizations, casinos and racecourse operators to offer poker and other games through the internet.

Already the line in the sand has been drawn between two distinct camps in the casino debate.

For those pushing for the legalization of online gambling the argument is about the basic freedom of individuals is to spend the money the way they choose.

Yet others stand firmly opposed to making gambling any more accessible that it already is. Online gambling is there in your home, in your office, instantly there, and for those players who have developed or will potentially develop gambling problems the dangers are potentially phenomenal.

Anyone who knows anyone who has been addicted to gambling would be familiar with the destructive nature of the illness. Homes are lost, families destroyed. In a very short period of time and sometimes with no signs the house a family has grown up with is gone, the nest egg, the superannuation, all that security that has been built up by a family can seemingly disappear overnight.

"By 1994, a considerable body of evidence showed that the expansion of legalized gambling destroys individuals, wrecks families, increases crime, and ultimately costs society far more than the government makes," says Bernard P Horn, Is there A Cure For America's Gambling Addition?

It's been estimated that 1.1% of American adults in 1997 were considered to have a gambling problem that was classed as pathological.

The individual stories of how people become seduced by gambling, for company, to avoid boredom or just to pass the day hanging around a place designed to keep you, especially you, entertained are littering the internet.

As the industry gears up to debate the bill to be introduced by Harry Reid we can only hope that equally significant measures are put in place to reduce the harm on those who loose control when gambling.

If you have any comments on this article please email Mary Banfield: [email][email protected][/email]

Three out of four adults in Northern Ireland gambled in the last year.

The most popular form was the National Lottery, with half of eligible punters buying at least one ticket in past 12 months.

More than 2% of the population aged 16 or over were considered to have a gambling problem, according to research by the Department of Social Development.

Direct comparisons with the situation in Great Britain will be possible when further statistics are published early next year, but the last British survey in 2007 estimated the scale of problem gambling in the rest of the UK at only 0.6%.

Gamblers Anonymous expressed concern at the prevalence of gambling in Northern Ireland.

A counsellor, who wanted to be named only as Jim, blamed an increase in advertising.

He said: "I think there are far more gamblers in Northern Ireland now than ever.

"Everywhere you look, TV, radio, the internet you see adverts for gambling. The worrying thing is you are seeing a lot of younger people getting caught up in compulsive gambling, which leads to a lot of problems, not only for them but also their families."

Social Development minister Alex Attwood said the results of the study highlighted the need for tighter controls on gambling.

The minister added: "While my Department is not responsible for the treatment or care of those who may suffer from problem gambling I will be bringing forward in the consultation measures aimed at minimising the harmful effects of gambling. I will work closely with all interests to develop a balanced package of reforms for the industry."

Online poker players may be about to draw an inside straight.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is circulating a draft bill that would finally make online poker legal again in the United States.

Gambling advocates, however, who've been clamoring for Congress to rescind the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) ever since it was passed in the dead of night in 2006, may only get half their holiday wish. The Reid bill would reportedly only chip away at the UIGEA, allowing only already existing casinos and slot-machine makers to operate legal Internet poker sites.

Intrade, Betfair, and a slew of other political betting sites that stand to make a fortune if all online gambling is legalized and regulated in the United States may be out of luck under the Reid bill. They had been hoping that Barney Frank's House bill, which would legalize and regulate all online gambling, would be passed during the lame-duck Congress. At last check, however, punters at Intrade only gave Barney Frank's bill a 2.5% chance of passing by the end of the year.

:thumbsup

They say persistence pays, and that’s a rule that Vivid Entertainment, the world’s largest porn distributor, is sticking to in regards to trying to get Octomom on board and paid. The girl does need a job to help support her 14 kids but hey, a girl has standards and the porn industry just won’t seem to cut it for Octomom who has turned down several of their offers.

Vivid Entertainment, who has been responsible for distributing some of the most popular celebrity sex tapes in the industry such as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, Janine and Vince Neil and Kim Kardashian among others, is looking to hire Octomom in any way they can. According to TMZ, she was first offered $1 million to take part in a porn production, which she turned down, followed by a second offer of $500,000 to become a production assistant, which makes the mind wonder what that job would entail, was also turned down.

The third offer came along recently after she was offered a job co-hosting the weekend festivities which take place after the AVN Awards and are to be held in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino next month. The AVN Awards are basically the top industry awards for the porn industry.

With so many bills piling up and the loss of her home due to lack of payment, a hosting gig wouldn’t be so bad would it, unless it’s a nude hosting gig of course.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing behind the scenes for new legislation that would legalize online poker but restrict licenses to online casinos and operators that have been in business for at least five years, according to news reports.
Last chance, For Now

But the Nevada Democrat has come under fire from several House Republicans who say the senate is attaching the measure to legislation that must be passed during the current lame-duck session, which concludes on December 17.

If passed, the Internet Poker Act 2010 will regulate online poker and provide federal and state governments with much needed tax revenue from online poker.

As a senator in the gambling hub that is Nevada, it is no surprise that this is such a big issue for Reid. He was the beneficiary of generous support from casino companies during his last campaign, namely from MGM Resorts International, which donated some $192,000 to aid him in his re-election.
Repeal the Ban

The bill follows efforts pushed by other legislators to overturn the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which effectively banned online gambling in the United States.

Congressman Barney Frank's Online Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, or HR 2267, still remains to be decided on.

Now Reid's legislation could beat Frank's to achieving that goal if it passes through Congress in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile

Online casino gambling in the USA has plummeted. From atop the online gambling world, US players must look hard to find such casinos as Slotastic and Sun Palace, who aside from being excellent casinos, accept payments via AmEx cards, which enable US players to make deposits.

Otherwise, US players are at risk playing on an unregulated market.

Progress has been made in the proposed legislation to expand gambling in the state of Illinois. However, gambling proponents are not celebrating yet, with a number of major obstacles still needed to get over before it actually becomes law. The proposal would essentially allow Chicago to open a gambling resort and will see the state launch four extra riverboat casinos, as well as slot games and other casino games at horse racing tracks.

The Illinois Senate passed the plan last week on a 31-20 vote, with the hope that it would bring in thousands of much needed jobs and generate tax dollars that would help the state’s serious budget deficit. Analysts believe that the plan could generate around $1 billion in annual revenue, which could prove a big help for a state that has a budget deficit of as much as $15 million.

However, House lawmakers have gone home until after New Year and the question remains whether the proposal will be able to make it through to law in a short space of time.

In addition, state governor, Pat Quinn has expressed his reservations for the expansion plan. On Friday, he said that remained skeptical about the proposal and said that he didn’t want Illinois to turn into the “Las Vegas of the Midwest.”

He also said that he didn’t want the state to get “carried away with gambling.”

The sponsor of the bill, Senator Terry Link (D-Waukegan) countered opposition by saying: “Is it a huge expansion? Yes, I’m not going to deny it. But we’ve got a huge deficit in the state of Illinois.” :thumbsup

If there was ever a time that the UIGEA bill could be repealed and online poker/gambling finally becoming legalized is now. President Obama and the republicans finally came to an agreement yesterday on a tax bill that will be passed at any time now and Senator Harry Reid is thought to be trying to add the internet-gambling bill to it starting today. Leaving the door open on this new tentative tax bill for the online gambling bill to be attached to as the final piece of legislation could actually end the years of yearning and controversy in the online gambling industry from players in the US that have been denied their right to gamble from home. In the next two days with both sides of legislators agreeing on a tax bill would be the perfect time to add on the internet gambling bill because after such a hard fought time trying to come to an agreement on this tax legislation it would be unheard of for Congress to stop the bill from being passed just because the gambling bill is attached to it. So there weakness could be online gambling’s strength and this opportunity should not be missed and Harry Reid knows that.

Working behind closed doors on a bill that would allow existing casinos to start offering online poker, Harry Reid has added a few amendments to the original bill that has made this piece of legislation more acceptable to some lawmakers and land based casinos. One new amendment is that the only casinos that would come under this new “legal” online gambling bill are casinos that have been operational for at least five years, which would give many of the bigger land based casinos in the US an edge over many online casinos. Another new piece of information is the fact that ALL online gaming sites that wish to offer gambling to US players must stop accepting players immediately after legislation goes into effect if they wish to obtain a license’s in the US. This would mean that all poker players in the US would be without their accounts at all sites for up to 15 months! This bill also states that a 15-month period must pass before any state can issue an online gaming license. This is so the federal government can have the time they need to set regulations for the industry.

Rumors are running rampant that Senator Reid is supporting this online gambling bill because of all the casino support he received during his election campaign, but for whatever reason he’s taking a lead role in getting the internet gambling bill passed and that’s good enough for US players who have been shut out from the rest of the world since 2006! Stay Tuned for more updates.

Elizabeth Edwards, the woman who helped propel her husband Senator John Edward’s political career, has lost her battle with cancer. She died this morning at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Edward’s life was surrounded by scandal after her husband Senator John Edwards admitted to having an affair with his campaign videographer, Rielle Hunter, who he also secretly fathered a child with. This information rocked Elizabeth Edwards who had also learned that her cancer had returned and spread and all this was going on during her husband’s 2008 presidential campaign with John Kerry. She chose to keep the news about her cancer to herself in her efforts not to hurt her husband’s political campaign.

The couple separated in 2010 after she learned the news of the child and after 32 years of marriage.

Apart from her the time and energy she devoted to her husband, Elizabeth was a lawyer and author who wrote Resilience and Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength From Friends and Strangers, which helped her cope with many of the difficult parts of her life.

Edwards was surrounded by family and friends and left many kind words to them via her Facebook account which included the following:

"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human," she wrote.

"But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn't possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know."

SACRAMENTO - Two Inland Southern California tribes with large casinos are pushing legislation to legalize Internet poker in the state, the opening bid in what could be an intense Capitol fight involving tribes who oppose the idea.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians near Banning and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians near San Bernardino are the leading members of a new group of tribes and card clubs called the California Online Poker Association. It is the sponsor of the bill introduced Monday, the first day of the 2011-12 session.

The measure would put a "licensed entity" that already has a casino or card club in California in charge of an "intrastate Internet poker website." In return, the entity would pay the state an unspecified share of the revenue.

Federal law prohibits online gambling, but increasingly popular websites based outside the U.S. attract an estimated 2 million California poker players who bet as much as $300 million annually, according to an estimate earlier this year.

States can license their own legal games; none has done so. In Congress, meanwhile, fast-evolving online gambling legislation championed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada, could go to a vote before year's end.

Supporters of this week's California proposal called it a way to keep gambling revenue in-state, while protecting online poker enthusiasts from unscrupulous offshore gambling sites.

"It's just not safe to play poker on these sites," James Ramos, the chairman of the San Manuel tribe, said in a statement distributed by the online poker association. It includes 29 tribes and some of the state's largest card clubs.

Critics said the bill would give its sponsors a monopoly on online poker. The bill would make it a crime to play poker on any other site.

"In our opinion, internet gaming of some sort is coming. It's a given," said David Quintana, the political director of the California Tribal Business Alliance, which includes several large tribes with casinos.

But Quintana called this week's measure "the equivalent of the state passing a bill to give Chevron the sole right to operate gas stations in California."

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, closely resembles a proposal that has been pushed by the Morongo tribe since mid-2009. It's the first of what's expected to be several online gambling measures to emerge in the coming legislative session.

State Sen. Rod Wright, D-Inglewood, leads the Senate committee with oversight of gambling issues. He plans to re-introduce a bill to legalize online gambling that stalled in committee in June.

That bill would have let the state award 20-year contracts to up to three operators to run legal online gambling websites.

Online poker groups also are crafting potential legislation. And different tribes or tribal groups could come forward with their own ideas.

Anti-gambling groups have said legalizing online poker would create more problem gamblers. The issue also has deeply split California's powerful tribal gaming industry.

CHIPPING AT CASINOS

Some tribal critics say legalization of online poker would undermine their casinos. They also question whether it would violate agreements that limit casino competition in return for the tribes giving the state a share of revenue.

The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, which runs a casino near Temecula, has been a vocal opponent of legalizing online gambling.

"Despite our historic alliances, this is one of those rare instances in which we simply do not agree with the consequences of authorizing intrastate Internet poker," Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro said at a February hearing, referring to the Morongo tribe. "This is a game changer."