WASHINGTON — As Congress nears the end of its 2012 session and wrestles over how to deal with the looming fiscal cliff, some senators are attempting to use their proposed fiscal bill to sneak in legislation that would legalize a form of online gambling.
Senators Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., are crafting a bill that would legalize online poker while keeping other forms of online gambling illegal. The Reid-Kyl Internet Poker Amendment would be attached to the Senate’s fiscal rescue bill; if not removed, it would pass with the legislation as a whole.
The Reid-Kyl legislation would not overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, but would make an exception for online poker — it would become legal. However, Stop Predatory Gambling, a national organization that seeks to limit commercial gambling interests, warned that this legislation would be a step toward “the introduction of legalized, full-fledged casino gambling on the Internet in America.”
Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., said in a prepared statement, “UIGEA is a much-needed law, especially for the protection of our young people. … Now is not the time to either repeal a successful law or care out exceptions with uncertain consequences.”
Joe Godfrey, executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program, urged Alabamians to contact their senators and ask them not to allow the Reid-Kyl legislation to be added to the Senate’s fiscal bill.
Sen. Jeff Sessions’ office can be reached at 202-224-4124. Sen. Richard Shelby’s office’s phone number is 202-224-5744. Click here to access forms to email each senator.
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