Retiring Nevada Democratic Party Senator Harry Reid continued to display an ambivalent attitude toward federally legalised online poker this week in an interview reported by the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.
In the interview Reid reprised a view he expressed in a KNPR television interview some weeks ago – that he had worked for a federal legalisation but had not been able to gather sufficient support, and that if this situation persisted he would consider supporting Sheldon Adelson’s Restoration of the America’s Wire Act, which seeks a Congressional ban on most online gambling activity (see previous report).
In the current interview Reid said that he was prepared to campaign for an exemption in RAWA for online poker, but that if he was unsuccessful in achieving this he would consider switching his support to the full online gambling ban envisaged by Adelson-inspired politicians Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Sen. Lindsey Graham, who are the main drivers of RAWA in Congress.
“Unless we can get something done with poker, I’m going to look closely – I haven’t made up my mind – but I’m going to look closely into banning it totally,” Reid said. “I’m going to take a hard look at it. It would be something I would certainly consider strongly.”