According to ESPN.com’s Andrew Feldman, multiple sources have told him that Harry Reid’s online poker bill will not – repeat, not – be put up for a vote during the lame duck session of congress. Feldman says that, despite rumors that the bill would find a home as an attachment to the omnibus spending bill, legal online poker in the US of A “was simply left behind.”
The Poker Player Alliance’s John Pappas told Feldman that “We are disappointed that Congress failed to act and provide the necessary consumer protections and sensible oversight over this multi-billion (and growing) industry. Sadly, some politicians remain with their heads firmly in the sand.”
CalvinAyre.com will continue to keep a close eye on this story, because this is US politics, after all. It wouldn’t be the first time that rumors of a piece of legislation’s death turned out to be greatly exaggerated. Nevertheless, it looks like the regulatory focus will now shift back to the individual states like New Jersey, California and possibly DC. But like we said, we’ll keep you posted.
