It’s no surprise that House Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts supports online poker, with his very public work to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) over the past couple of years. By the same token, other congressmen such as New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez have also publicly supporting online gambling. However, in recent months more and more political figures are coming out of the woodwork to support the licensing and regulation of online poker.
Nevada Senator Harry Reid, a democrat, first hinted at his possible support of regulating online gambling sites when he sent a letter asking for the delay of the UIGEA in 2006. Poker Players Alliance (PPA) executive director, John Pappas, says that while he isn’t one hundred percent sure that Reid has come around on the issue, he believes that “[Reid] recognizes that there’s some serious failures in the UIGEA.” The PPA finds the fact that Reid sent this letter very encouraging.
In fact, the PPA has been so encouraged by Senator Reid that they are supporting him in his campaign for reelection. However, Senator Reid has not yet come out and said that he would support licensing of online casinos in the United States, in part because he needs to watch out for the live casino industry, which thrives in Nevada, the home of Las Vegas.
Though Reid is not yet a sure thing, he is expected to become a supporter and other congressmen are expected to follow suit.