Musical chairs in Nevada politics could hurt online gambling push

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill was fond of saying that all politics is local. But Shelley Berkley’s run for the Senate in Nevada has national implications in the fight to legalize online gambling.And maybe not all good.To be sure, the Las Vegas Democrat is a steadfast supporter for the right of citizens of the United States being allowed to sit down at aputer, log on to a reputable site and play whatever game they want, especially poker. Berkley has benefitted from fundraisers on her behalf given by the Poker Players Alliance. The PPA, in fact, has spread a lot of sugar around D.C., reportedly donating millions to politicians on the left and right. Berkley’s campaign coffers have been fattened by the PPA, and if she gets past the Democratic primary, she’ll face Republican incumbent Dean Heller, who has also received cash from the PPA.Online gambling, ironically, seems to be the one issue that has a chance of receiving bipartisan support in a Congress that appears more divided than at any time since the Civil War. Republicans have traditionally resisted gambling initiatives on moral grounds, but the weakened economy has forced the GOP to take another look at either softening orpletely eliminating the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The bill filed recently by Texas Republican Joe Barton to legalize online poker received bipartisan support and spawned hope that something can actually be aplished before the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate goes into full campaign mode in 2012.Nevada, obviously, is ground zero in the battle for national legalization of online gambling, with Caesars and other casino giants salivating at the prospect of operating national portals. And the success or failure of Berkley’s campaign could go a long way toward determining if online gambling is legalized and what new regulations might look like. Some background on Nevada and how it could affect online legislation:A few years back, Heller had toyed with the idea of running against weakened Democratic Senator Harry Reid, but got cold feet and won a spot in the House. Reid, whom many believed would have had a tough time in 2010 winning a race against a Reuben sandwich, got a gift when Tea Party wild woman Sharron Angle got the Republican nomination, and Reid survived.Meanwhile, John Ensign, Nevada’s other senator and a longtime casino supporter, was having problems of his own. After making a speech on the Senate floor defending one-man, one-woman marriage, the self-proclaimed born-again Christian was outed after having an affair with the wife of an aide. He decided to quit rather than fight, and last year Heller was appointed to replace him.Berkley feels she has a solid chance to take down Heller, and a recent poll (taken before she was a candidate) showed her with a two-point lead. But her candidacy is risky business for online gambling supporters, with perhaps not a lot of upside. Heller has also indicated that he supports the Barton bill, and having a Republican – any Republican – in support of pro-gambling legislation is like found money for those aching for change.With Berkley in the House and Heller in the Senate, it’s two positive votes. But if Berkley succeeds in sending Heller back to the desert and takes over his Senate seat, no one knows for sure who her replacement in the House would be. There are rumblings that Angle, whose bizarrements torpedoed her Senate run against Reid, would enter a House race if Berkley gives it up and risks her career on a Senate race. Angle, who might be a senator today if she had faked laryngitis in the run against Reid, is no friend of the casino industry, insisting that it prosper or perish based on free markets and no government assistance. Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson are conservative Republicans, except when ites to their own industry. If Berkley defeats Heller, it could in essence mean that Angle has replaced Heller.With so many moving parts in Nevada, let alone in Washington, it’s impossible to tell exactly how a Berkley move to the Senate may affect proposed online gambling. In the end, it may be a case of being careful what we ask for. 

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