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California Senator Rod Wright has brought his online poker bill back to the State Senate, hoping that this attempt will have a better chance of passing through the legislature. The bill would legalize and regulate an intrastate system of online poker that would only be available to California residents, similar to the bill that is currently working its way through the New Jersey legislature.

The legislation would allow the California Gambling Control Commission to license up to three operators to offer online poker to California-based players. The bill was originally introduced in the previous legislative session, but did not get voted on.

Interestingly, this was the second piece of online poker legislation that was introduced in the California State Senate this week. On Monday, Senator Lou Correa introduced a similar bill that had the backing of at least some of California’s Native American tribes, who formed the California Online Poker Association to support the bill. Correa’s bill would also allow the California Gambling Control Commission to award licenses, but provides more protections to ensure that local operators gain at least some of those licensing opportunities.

Both California and New Jersey have stepped up efforts to potentially pass online poker legislation as soon as possible in the wake of reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) may attach a federal online poker bill to must-pass legislation before the end of the year. With the prospect of federal licensing that may not go to local operators on the horizon, other states that have an interest in legalizing online poker are attempting to set up local regulatory schemes before Reid’s bill potentially becomes law.
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Earlier this week the online payment service provider eWalletXpress announced that it would not any longer be operating in the United States market. This put to rest a period of rumors and speculation concerning its imminent exit. eWalletXpress joins a list of major international operators, like Neteller, PayPal and Moneybookers, that do not provide services in America.

eWalletXpress had been a popular and significant option for American players for funding their online casino and poker accounts and almost all sites catering to American players offered this option. A few weeks ago traffic on these sites began to fall indicating that something was not as usual. The problem was identified with eWalletXpress when it reported technical problems at its web site. The displayed message read, "Please note we are experiencing ongoing technical difficulties as a result of a service upgrade." Going by the conversation at online casino and poker forums, there appeared to be few takers for this story. The services provided by eWalletXpress had been top class and it was difficult to believe that they would be affected by technical malfunction. In any event, technical issues today are resolved in hours, if not minutes, and certainly not days. Some posts queried that who in future would use a payment option that left its customers stranded, never mind its excellent past performance. Then there were posts that looked for ulterior motives. One said that legalization and regulation of online gambling in the United States is imminent. However, it is likely that those who are operating in the illegal market today will be kept out by law. Therefore eWalletXpress is opting out so that it would be in the good books of the regulators. After all it was for this purpose that Neteller had paid a multi million dollar fine and cleaned its slate.

After about a week of speculation eWalletXpress revealed the facts. The operator had been served with a warrant by the authorities. "We regret to inform you that we are no longer able to continue service at this time due to a Federal warrant issued to seize our funds," read the statement issued by eWalletXpress to its American customers. Players who had balances remaining in their eWalletXpress accounts could ask for them to be returned. eWalletXpress confirmed that all monies owed will be transferred to customers' checking accounts after 'technical issues are resolved'. No details have been provided on the contents of the warrant, the nature of the technical issues or the time that the players will have to wait to get back their dues. With the reputation that eWalletXpress carries it should be a matter of when the funds will be returned and not whether they will be returned.
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Let's start with the most obvious reason to permit online poker: It happens anyway. An estimated 7 million Americans already log on to poker sites every month, according to one study. But the sites they visit operate outside the purview of U.S. law because they're located offshore. That means players aren't protected from fraud or cheating. If they get fleeced by another player, their only recourse is to complain to the site. Gambling sites like Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker are self-policing. If someone's perpetrating a fraud scheme, it's up to the sites to punish them. They usually do—after all, they want to protect their reputations—but it's not a foolproof system. When an employee at a site called Absolute Poker allegedly cracked the system and looked at everyone's cards, he was caught, but the money he won by cheating wasn't recouped. If one of the poker companies disappeared tomorrow and took all its customers' money with it, they'd have no recourse.

Reid's bill would bring all this activity under the regulatory umbrella: Set up a licensing system, create standards for who can play, and enforce the rules.
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The EU’s Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry, Research and Space) Council met in Brussels, Belgium, last week. The Council discussed the problems facing its member nations on the issue of legal online gambling. Many European nations have opened their doors to online gaming companies, while others, including Denmark and Cyprus, have limited access to online wagering sites.

The Council stated that online gaming, in the forms of sports betting and online casino games, is a leading business activity among member states. According to the Council, online gaming activities bring in significant government revenue through taxation, but also raise considerable amounts of money through lottey drawings for public undertakings, including charities, cultural bodily functions and sporting events.

In the statement, the Council invited “Member States to cooperate more closely to protect consumers, to share experiences and practices and to identify gambling operators in order to avoid illegal gambling.” The statement also pointed out that “online gambling is a particular problem due to its cross-border nature.”

Sigrid Ligné is the Secretary General of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), a Brussels-based lobbying organization for the online gaming industry. Ligné said that the group “fully supports” the efforts made to legalize and regulate online gaming on the Continent.

As the discussions continue, many member states have already taken action. Last month, the island nation of Cyprus developed a law banning online poker, roulette and slot machines. Last week, officials in Denmark faced complaints from the European Commission for the tax rates the country proposed on those companies seeking online gambling licenses.
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If you’re a fan of actor John Travolta then you’re probably well aware of the gay rumors that have haunted him throughout his 30+ year career. While John seems to try to dispel the stories, his so-called “friend” Carrie Fisher has outed him for a second time during a recent interview with the Advocate where she mentions “We don’t really care that John Travolta is gay.”

Carrie Fisher better known as the actress who brought Princess Leia from Star Wars to life, is also a talented novelist and screenwriter who seems to have a deep connection with the gay community and talks about her life, dealing with bi-polar disorder, her gay ex-husband and drug addictions in her memoir Wishful Drinking airing on HBO.

It was during an interview with The Advocate, where she was promoting her HBO special that she was asked to revisit a comment she made back in 2009 during a segment called “10 Things That Gay Men Should Know About Straight Women,” where she made the comment about Travolta’s sexuality.

During the interview she was asked if Travolta’s legal team had any right to ask Gawker to remove a post they made about him which suggested that he’d been giving blow jobs to which she responded, “Wow, I mean, my feeling about John has always been that we know and we don’t care. Look, I’m sorry that he’s uncomfortable with it, and that’s all I can say. It only draws more attention to it when you make that kind of legal fuss. Just leave it be.”

Carrie talks about the subject like it’s common knowledge which apparently it may be one of Hollywood’s biggest secrets. True or not, it is somewhat interesting that he’s a Scientologist which according to creator Ron Hubbard homosexuality can be “cured.” Whatever the truth may be it looks like Carrie Fisher just may have a war on her hands.
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Hugh Jackman injured his ego more than his eye recently when he visited Oprah, who was filming her show in Sydney, Australia today.

Rather than walking on the stage like a normal person, Jackman decided to make a grand entrance by zip-lining from the top of the Sydney Opera House, onto the stage. Hugh's zip-lining stunt took an embarrassing turn when he didn't stop in time and crashed into a lighting rig, injuring his right eye. On impact with the lighting, Jackman flipped 90 degrees, then hung suspended for several seconds before being lowered onto the stage.

"It’s a little hot up here," Jackman said after he crashed. "I’m not hundred per cent, I’ve hurt my eye."

Oprah stopped filming so paramedics could take a look at him and ice his eye. Jackman then appeared in the segment with a bandage under his eye.

"I came down waving to everyone, looking over Sydney Harbor, saw my dad, the kids and you, went to pull the brake and then boing," Jackman told Oprah.

It is being reported that he later received stiches. Other guests included Bono, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Russell Crowe, Olivia Newton-John and Keith Urban along with his wife Nicole Kidman.

Since Oprah has been in Australia, she has given away over $1 million of HP and Microsoft gear to a boys school, as well as giving a man with cancer $250,000.

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There seems to be a pattern happening with online gambling bills and the dates for voting. First, Senator Harry Reid’s bill gets delayed and pushed back until (hopefully) another bill goes up for vote that it can be attached to and now the New Jersey bill which was a “definite shoe in” on Monday was also delayed! The most ironic thing about the delay with the New Jersey online gambling bill is that it ended up being delayed because of the acts that the loudest supporter of the bill did. Raymond Lesniak the Senator for New Jersey who sponsored the gambling bill made an amendment within the bill last week to the racing levy section, which automatically sends the bill back to the Assembly for a vote, and then back to the States Governor for approval.

However, the ACR167 bill which is the “sports betting” bill will still be sent before both houses later this week for approval and is expected to pass easily. Both bills are forecasted to unanimously pass but with the late add on to the bill by Lesniak it is standard procedure for both committees in the Senate and the Assembly to re examine and re approve the bill. But if there is no committee meetings schedule for later this week the bill could be put off until after the Holidays. A source said there is zero chance of this being derailed. Anytime there are changes to legislature, it has to be re-approved by both committees.
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Manne wrote: Hugh Jackman injured his ego more than his eye recently when he visited Oprah, who was filming her show in Sydney, Australia today.

Rather than walking on the stage like a normal person, Jackman decided to make a grand entrance by zip-lining from the top of the Sydney Opera House, onto the stage. Hugh's zip-lining stunt took an embarrassing turn when he didn't stop in time and crashed into a lighting rig, injuring his right eye. On impact with the lighting, Jackman flipped 90 degrees, then hung suspended for several seconds before being lowered onto the stage.

"It’s a little hot up here," Jackman said after he crashed. "I’m not hundred per cent, I’ve hurt my eye."

Oprah stopped filming so paramedics could take a look at him and ice his eye. Jackman then appeared in the segment with a bandage under his eye.

"I came down waving to everyone, looking over Sydney Harbor, saw my dad, the kids and you, went to pull the brake and then boing," Jackman told Oprah.

It is being reported that he later received stiches. Other guests included Bono, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Russell Crowe, Olivia Newton-John and Keith Urban along with his wife Nicole Kidman.

Since Oprah has been in Australia, she has given away over $1 million of HP and Microsoft gear to a boys school, as well as giving a man with cancer $250,000.

Think you know what will happen in the world of celebrity? Get all your celebrity odds in the Bodog Sportsbook. Need an account? Join Bodog today!
I saw the video of Hugh Jackman on the zipline. I'm surprised that it didn't have some sort of autopilot feature to slow it down - he had to apply the brakes? I'm sure a stuntman knows what to expect, but an actor doesn't get as much practice. Shoot, even athletic stuntmen get killed doing things like that. You might recall the Owen Hart equipment malfunction that resulted in his untimely death.
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It has taken the mainstream media several years before they caught up to the online poker movement that is taking place in the US. For years, the media disregarded online gambling, tossed it aside as if the millions of Americans that were playing at online casinos did not exist.

In the past couple of years, however, the media has started to pay attention to the online poker laws in the US. That has happened as poker has grown into a televised phenomenon on NBC, ESPN, and several other major networks. As the game became nationalized, the media started to pick up on the struggles that online poker players have had for over a decade.

Despite their recent interest in the online gambling industry, the truth is that these mainstream outlets still do not understand the struggle. If they did, they would have been more precise in their reporting of Senator Harry Reid's push to regulate online poker.

All across the US, the media reported of how Reid was attempting to legalize online poker. The only problem is that, according to laws in the US, there is nothing illegal about a person playing poker on their computer for money. What Reid was actually doing with his legislation was attempting to regulate the billion dollar industry that has existed for years.

Reid and other lawmakers are not free from blame as to why the legislation appears to be dead. The intentions of the senator were clear after he narrowly defeated Tea-Party candidate Sharron Angle in the mid-term elections last month. Reid had the support of the highest ranking gaming executives in a state that is driven by its gaming industry.

Those executives have watched revenue drop over the past couple of years thanks to the recession and increased competition. After years of fighting Internet gaming regulations for fear they would lose revenue, the gaming executives finally realized the part of the equation where they actually made money from Internet gambling, and that is where Reid came in.

Instead of supporting Angle, who like other Tea-Party enthusiasts, would never have gone for online gambling regulations, the gaming companies backed Reid, and in return, a lame-duck bill would be created to give Las Vegas casinos the inside track on cornering the Internet gaming market, once regulated.

The problem was that Reid and the media, and even the gaming executives failed to realize one thing, the fight for online poker players is not about regulation, or taxation, or even protection from the government. No, the battle for the millions of poker players was being fought for freedom.

The Internet is still relatively knew, which means that lawmakers feel compelled to make the rules from the start. Although President Obama had said he was in favor of keeping the Internet free from government oversight, the president has failed to press for freedom in the issue that affects the largest Internet group in the country, millions of gamblers.

Representative Barney Frank has been the legislator that has championed the cause for the past several years. Frank has spoken about Internet freedom, and how Americans should be able to make their own choices when it comes to what they do with their entertainment time and money.

Frank has never won the battle, mainly because he cannot convince enough of his fellow lawmakers that freedoms afforded Americans in the Constitution were being invaded. If people want to point to a problem in Washington, they can point to the idea that hundreds of legislators go to work each day with issues, but without reasons.

Had Senator Reid and his colleagues, along with the mainstream media, understood what the online gambling issue was really about, it would be much easier to come to a simple agreement that freedom is what this country was founded upon. It is not about taxation. It is not about personal lawmaker agendas. It is not about legalization.

It is about millions of people in this country that simply want the right to make their own decisions, without being mandated by the government or the media. The Internet was not around when the Constitution was created, but that does not mean current day lawmakers should take the issue into their own hands, especially when it comes to freedom, something the US has long claimed to stand for.
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The Biggest Loser was the last of the reality shows to finish in 2010, and online gamblers were waiting patiently as the winner was revealed. For some, the decision was the difference between losing or winning money from their bets.

Patrick House became the latest reality contestant to win money for gamblers this year. The reality frenzy of online gambling began back in the summer when Lee DeWyze was chosen as the newest American Idol. Jennifer Grey then continued the party for online bettors when she won Dancing with the Stars.

While Dancing with the Stars and American Idol attract the most gamblers, The Biggest Loser and other dancing competitions have their fair share of followers. Reality betting has become an instant phenomenon, and one that sports books have come to rely on for extra betting.

"In this day and age, bettors have an ever-expanding variety of betting options at sports books," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "Reality television betting has taken the sports books by surprise, but with millions of people watching these competitions, it only made sense that the sports books would get in on the action."

Sports, of course, is still the major draw for bettors. The NFL, despite its insistence on denying gambling's impact on their sport, it the most bet on sport in the US. Worldwide, soccer brings in billions of dollars in bets each year, and that figure goes even higher in years such as 2010 when the World Cup is played.

In sports, there is always the fear of scandal. The same can be said for reality television betting. Sarah Palin had her odds drop significantly during her time on Dancing with the Stars. Each week, Palin received low scores from the judges, but her fan base kept her in the competition by voting heavily every week. Gamblers have to take into account a contestant's fan base as the show moves through a season, and odds makers adjust accordingly as well.
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Are the holidays softening up Christian Bale’s tough-guy persona? One would think so after he began to sing the theme song to the Powerpuff Girls during an interview with ABC News together with Mark Wahlberg. It was nice to see him expose his soft underbelly especially after all the mouthing off he’s done over the years.

Both Bale and Wahlberg were being interviewed by ABC News to promote their new movie, The Fighter, when the interview took a bit of a segway and they began talking about how Director Chris Nolan (The Dark Knight), made his own personal musical statement during a recent interview by singing a song. This quickly led to Bale exposing his singing talents by singing the theme song to the Powerpuff Girls word for word.

So is he just a random fan of the show? Well according to Starpulse, Bale’s daughter is a big fan of the show and sings the song around the house which is why the guy knew it in the first place. Somehow I pictured him more of a Marilyn Manson type of guy but the Powerpuff Girls works too.

The interview ends with Mark Wahlberg chiming in and singing his own song “You’ve Got The Touch” from Boogie Nights which just couldn’t beat Christian Bale’s memorable performance.

The Fighter is due for release this Friday and documents the lives of “Irish” Micky Ward and his crack head brother (Bale) who helps train him.
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For decades, Las Vegas was the only place in the United States where casino gambling was legal. But in the late 1970s, Atlantic City, N.J., followed suit. Since then, more and more state and local governments have gotten into the game, lured by the promise of new jobs and tax revenues. Forty states now permit some form of casino gambling.

Recapturing revenue lost to neighboring states is now the primary reason why states legalize gambling, says economist Richard McGowan. McGowan, a professor at Boston College who has studied and written about gambling for years, tells Fresh Air contributor Dave Davies that many states legalize gambling so that money spent by gamblers doesn't travel across state lines.

He points to Pennsylvania as an example of a state trying to make up for huge budget shortfalls by introducing casino gambling. In 2009, Pennsylvania legalized slot casinos across the state. At the time, thousands of Pennsylvania residents were streaming across the state's borders to New Jersey in order to play the slots.

"In 2008, New Jersey made $4.5 billion on gambling [while] Pennsylvania made $1.6 billion," says McGowan. "In 2009, New Jersey's revenue went down to $3.9 billion. Pennsylvania went up to almost $2 billion. So you had a gain in revenue in Pennsylvania of around 20 percent. And you had a negative effect in New Jersey of around 13 percent. Clearly Pennsylvania declared war on New Jersey."

But the two mid-Atlantic states are not alone. Ohio approved gambling in the last election, McGowan says, because "it's surrounded by states now that have casino gambling, with the exception of Kentucky."

And California recently allowed tribes across the state to open a series of Native American casinos, with California receiving 25 percent of all revenue from slot machines.

"Clearly California was declaring war on Nevada," McGowan says. "And it has hurt Nevada. And you see this in state after state after state."

McGowan tells Davies that he thinks sometimes states get addicted to the new source of cash flow, in the same way that gamblers in the casinos do. And states that relied on gambling revenue to generate income — but are now losing money to neighboring states — are looking for newer ways to generate income.

"Not to pick on New Jersey, but New Jersey is now saying we have to revisit sports gambling," he says. "In other words, they're going to up the ante on gambling. They're saying, 'To make the Atlantic City casinos more attractive, we will start sports gambling there.' I'm sure the two Native American casinos in Connecticut [Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun] are thinking about sports gambling. That's another whole area that nobody wants to touch right now but clearly they're going to have to touch it."

(Richard McGowan is an economics professor at Boston College. He is the author of State Lotteries and Legalized Gambling: Painless Revenue or Painful Mirage and Government and the Transformation of the Gaming Industry.)
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Is expanded gambling really dead or are gambling lobbyists just being really, really quiet right now because the gambling crowd doesn't want an anti-gambling legislator to win the Speaker's race?

It's a fair question. Last night, I received a phone call at his home. It was a robo-dial poll consisting of three questions (paraphrased but close to the original):

1. Lots of Texans spend money gambling in neighboring states. Would you support your legislator in offering you the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment allowing Texans to keep that money in Texas?

2. If such an election were held would you vote for or against allowing gambling in Texas?

3. Are you a member of a Tea Party group?

After those three questions, the robodial said thank you and disconnected. My caller ID did not record where the call came from.

Obviously questions 1 and 2 are gambling lobby spin, so I'm assuming this poll was paid for by pro-gambling forces. (No one who voted for banning same sex marriages characterizes it as an opportunity to let the people vote on marriage, for example. Voting for a constitutional amendment means endorsing the contents.) Question 3 is fascinating and I assume used to generate cross tabs.
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Formerly on the original Melrose Place in the 1990s, actress Amy Locane is now facing serious prison time after she was indicted on charges of aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto in New Jersey today. If convicted, she could face 10-30 years behind bars on the manslaughter charge and 5-10 years on the assault by auto charge.

Back in June, Locane reportedly struck the passenger side of a vehicle that was attempting to enter a driveway in Montgomery, New Jersey. The passenger of the vehicle, 60-year-old Helene Zucker Seeman, was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband, Fred Seeman sustained serious injuries. Locane admitted to police she drank wine before getting behind the wheel.

Just before the fatal crash, Locane was involved in hit-and-run at a Princeton intersection when she allegedly rear-ended a vehicle but sped away, knocking down some mailboxes, when the other driver phoned police.

Since her stint on Melrose Place, as well as her role in the John Waters' movie Cry Baby, who she co-starred in with Johnny Depp, Locane moved from Hollywood back to New Jersey, settling down west of Princeton after meeting her wine educator husband, Mark Bovenizer, who she had two daughters with. She also appeared in community theater.

Locane told People's celebrity baby blog back in 2007, "Returning home was one of the best things I ever did. It was what I needed. Little did I know that I would find the man of my dreams, have a baby, and a great life, all in my hometown!"

Locane's attorney Blair Zwillman tells TMZ that the aggravated manslaughter charge came as a surprise to him, adding, "I don't believe it is supported by the law or the facts and I think it constitutes over-reaching by the prosecutor's office."
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A state Assembly committee on Thursday cleared the way for a full lower house vote on a package of gaming bills that would allow New Jersey residents to play casino games over the internet and would also create a tourism district for Atlantic City. But the state's 11 casinos won't be the only winners, because the bills include money for horse racing purses, thanks to a 15 percent tax that would be slapped on internet gambling.

Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, said, "These measures represent yet another step forward in ensuring a strong Atlantic City, a healthy horse racing industry and a modern gaming industry for New Jersey."

There was no opposition to the bills in votes by the Assembly Budget Committee. Lawmakers from both parties have rallied around legislation that would prop up the racing industry since a senior policy adviser to Gov. Chris Christie, Jon F. Hanson, said the state should get out of the horse racing business.

The rally has led a private investor, Jeffrey R. Gural, to pursue negotiations on a lease to take over the state-owned Meadowlands Racetrack. A session of discussions about taking the track private is scheduled for Friday, Gural said.

Under the internet gambling bill, the equipment used to make the games available must be located either in a restricted area on the premises of a casino hotel or in a secure facility inaccessible to the public but within the territorial limits of Atlantic City.

That component will assure that a number of new good-paying jobs will be based in the state, said William Pascrell III, a lobbyist for the internet gaming industry.

"We believe it's a jobs-creation bill," Pascrell told the committee. "New Jersey would become the first state to do this and it will become the global mecca for online gaming."

Internet wagers would also carry the casino-standard 8 percent tax on gross revenues, making the total tax on such wagers 23 percent, with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority annually appropriating a percentage of the amount of that tax generated to the New Jersey Racing Commission to be used for the benefit of horse racing.

The proposed Atlantic City Tourism District would include a special police detail to patrol the boardwalk. The district would encompass the casinos, casino hotels, and other properties where the majority of ownership entities are engaged primarily in the tourism trade, officials said.
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Betting is heavily governed in Germany, with their lottery a state-held monopoly but it’s actual the business of Internet betting creating issues in the government right now, as Germany is split over online betting and the decision about whether to allow private operators into the country and lax the lottery monopoly law. This week, a meeting of 16 Länder ministers met to try and clarify the gaming policy within the country with the view to allowing online gambling firms to set up in Germany in the new year.

Many of the UK’s best sportsbooks and online casinos operate across several countries, but as yet, private operators have not been allowed to trade or run online sportsbooks in the country. This is because Germany, right now have a monopoly on the state lottery, but with Internet gambling opening up the market, some parties wish to allow private operators into the country.

If the move goes ahead then companies such as Ladbrokes online sportsbook and others could set up licenses in the country from 2011, it would also allow online casino operates and poker operators to set up license within Germany.

The move would be lucrative for the online gambling market, but whether it will be helpful to Germany is yet to be seen. Many are still calling for the monopoly to be upheld and it’s that preventing online sportsbooks to set up in the country.

After the meeting today, no decision will now be finalised until into the new year but if this goes through it means a lucrative sports betting market will be opened up to some of our best online sportsbooks.

We’ll be following this story and the proceedings very closely, and there’s no doubt that some of the UK’s biggest sportsbooks will also be keen to see a decision made.
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Manne wrote: It has taken the mainstream media several years before they caught up to the online poker movement that is taking place in the US. For years, the media disregarded online gambling, tossed it aside as if the millions of Americans that were playing at online casinos did not exist.

In the past couple of years, however, the media has started to pay attention to the online poker laws in the US. That has happened as poker has grown into a televised phenomenon on NBC, ESPN, and several other major networks. As the game became nationalized, the media started to pick up on the struggles that online poker players have had for over a decade.

Despite their recent interest in the online gambling industry, the truth is that these mainstream outlets still do not understand the struggle. If they did, they would have been more precise in their reporting of Senator Harry Reid's push to regulate online poker.

All across the US, the media reported of how Reid was attempting to legalize online poker. The only problem is that, according to laws in the US, there is nothing illegal about a person playing poker on their computer for money. What Reid was actually doing with his legislation was attempting to regulate the billion dollar industry that has existed for years.

Reid and other lawmakers are not free from blame as to why the legislation appears to be dead. The intentions of the senator were clear after he narrowly defeated Tea-Party candidate Sharron Angle in the mid-term elections last month. Reid had the support of the highest ranking gaming executives in a state that is driven by its gaming industry.

Those executives have watched revenue drop over the past couple of years thanks to the recession and increased competition. After years of fighting Internet gaming regulations for fear they would lose revenue, the gaming executives finally realized the part of the equation where they actually made money from Internet gambling, and that is where Reid came in.

Instead of supporting Angle, who like other Tea-Party enthusiasts, would never have gone for online gambling regulations, the gaming companies backed Reid, and in return, a lame-duck bill would be created to give Las Vegas casinos the inside track on cornering the Internet gaming market, once regulated.

The problem was that Reid and the media, and even the gaming executives failed to realize one thing, the fight for online poker players is not about regulation, or taxation, or even protection from the government. No, the battle for the millions of poker players was being fought for freedom.

The Internet is still relatively knew, which means that lawmakers feel compelled to make the rules from the start. Although President Obama had said he was in favor of keeping the Internet free from government oversight, the president has failed to press for freedom in the issue that affects the largest Internet group in the country, millions of gamblers.

Representative Barney Frank has been the legislator that has championed the cause for the past several years. Frank has spoken about Internet freedom, and how Americans should be able to make their own choices when it comes to what they do with their entertainment time and money.

Frank has never won the battle, mainly because he cannot convince enough of his fellow lawmakers that freedoms afforded Americans in the Constitution were being invaded. If people want to point to a problem in Washington, they can point to the idea that hundreds of legislators go to work each day with issues, but without reasons.

Had Senator Reid and his colleagues, along with the mainstream media, understood what the online gambling issue was really about, it would be much easier to come to a simple agreement that freedom is what this country was founded upon. It is not about taxation. It is not about personal lawmaker agendas. It is not about legalization.

It is about millions of people in this country that simply want the right to make their own decisions, without being mandated by the government or the media. The Internet was not around when the Constitution was created, but that does not mean current day lawmakers should take the issue into their own hands, especially when it comes to freedom, something the US has long claimed to stand for.
US Lawmakers always missing the point 😄
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Governor Ed Rendell has been pushing gambling expansion since he took office, and the persistence is starting to pay dividends for Pennsylvania citizens. Figures released this week indicate that slot revenue has already brought over $600 million in property tax relief so far this year.

Rendell has been one of the driving forces behind the rapid expansion of casino gambling in Pennsylvania over the past several years. Earlier this year, Rendell threatened to cut government jobs if legislators did not reach an agreement on expanded gambling. Several days later, table games became legal under a new state law.

Rendell predicted back in 2004 that property tax relief from gambling would bring over $1 billion by 2012-13. While not currently on target to hit that figure in the proposed time frame, new casinos will be opening in the near future that could make Rendell's prediction correct.

When Rendell had offered that prediction, he assumed that fourteen casinos would be operating in the state. Currently, only ten are in operation, but they are thriving at a time when casinos in other states across the US are struggling. Pennsylvania casinos have taken thousands of customers away from Atlantic City casinos.

As for the tax relief, homeowners can expect to see around a $157 break on their taxes next year. While that does not seem like a major break, it is welcomed by homeowners at a time when the economy has not fully recovered from the recession of 2008. Rendell has used gambling as a tool to help bridge the budget deficit in the state.

Residents may not be quick to see the tax breaks from the slot gambling. The amount of the break varies by district, and will likely be offset by increased property tax rates. The homeowners may not be paying less, but because of the slot taxes, their bills will also not increase from the tax hikes.
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Online gambling regulations may have failed this lame-duck session on a national level, but the issue is far from dead on a state level. With California, Florida, and New Jersey lawmakers already discussing online poker regulations, other states are following the soon-to-be trend closely.

"If everybody else does it, we'd probably do it as well," said John Melton, lead legal counsel for the West Virginia Lottery Commission, as reported by The Charleston Gazette. West Virginia lawmakers have not yet discussed Internet gambling, but it may soon be on the agenda.

This past month, a bill has been introduced in California that would regulate online poker. A similar bill has been passed in New Jersey, where residents may get to vote on the issue next fall. New Jersey lawmakers are also in the process of legalizing sports betting.

The past couple of years has seen one of the biggest gambling expansion efforts in the history of the US. State legislators have used gambling as their main tool in battling against budget deficits. Even in states where gambling was once taboo, like Ohio and Maine, casinos have been authorized by voters.

Ohio voters had dismissed casino resort proposals several times before one final passed in 2008. Maryland just had their first casino opened earlier this year, and Kansas is working on getting their four approved casino open in the next year. New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida have also expanded their gaming industries.

The next step in the gaming boom will be Internet gambling regulations. Senator Harry Reid attempted to push through a bill in the lame-duck session, but the legislation was filled with negatives that other lawmakers rejected. On a federal level, it is unlikely the online gambling laws will change with the new Congress taking over in January.

If New Jersey and California lead the way, it may not be long until other states get in on the millions of dollars in tax revenue that can be created from Internet gambling. Senator Reid's state of Nevada may be one of the areas of the country to attempt to circumvent federal laws by creating their own Internet gambling legislation.

As for West Virginia, no plans are in the works yet, but as Melton put it, "You could make an argument that Internet is the next frontier." Indeed, that argument has been made, and it is gaining more traction with every passing day.
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When Senator Harry Reid's effort to regulate online poker went by the boards this week, millions of Americans began preparing for the next step on their journey. Unfortunately, the new regime taking over in the House is still firmly for Internet gambling prohibition.

Republican Representative John Boehner was part of the legislative group that took steps towards online gambling prohibition back in 2006. Rep. Boehner helped create the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act back in 2006, and the lawmaker still claims victory for that accomplishment on his website.

"I don't see how anyone could see the UIGEA as a winning piece of legislation," said Barry Farth, a long-time poker player. "If Boehner and his allies think that taking freedom away from Americans is a victory, then we are in for a long two years. It is almost unbelievable that prohibition is considered to be an accomplishment these days in Congress."

Farth is one of the millions of Americans who feel neglected by legislators in the government this holiday season. Senator Reid attempted to give back some of the freedom awarded Americans in the Constitution, but Conservative lawmakers pounced on the online poker amendment with their outdated strategies.

Of course, not all Americans are upset with the current Internet gambling laws. Religious groups and many Conservatives have applauded the efforts of Boehner and other representatives such as Dave Camp, Spencer Bachus, and Lamar Smith, all of whom have aggressively sought prohibition of online gambling.

As control of the House is set to change hands, poker players understand that the UIGEA will likely remain intact for at least the next two years while Conservatives are in power. Rep. Bacchus will continue to push the idea that the millions of online gamblers should have no right to choose what they do with their own money.

On a bigger scale, other major Internet industries should be worried about the future. If Boehner, Bachus, and their colleagues continue to believe they should be the Internet police, Americans may soon find themselves with an entire list of entertainment options that could be banned in the future.

Ironically, the aforementioned legislators were among the most vocal when it came to President Obama's health care bill. They claimed that the bill was too intrusive and that the government should not dictate to Americans whether or not they should be forced to have health care.

Fast forward to the past few weeks and these same lawmakers argued how government should infringe on the rights of the people they represent. Mandatory health care would be a violation of the Constitution, but gambling prohibition would not. That is, in essence, their argument, and the logic has millions of poker players scratching their heads.
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