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It appears that Republican Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has softened his stance in regards to legalized online gambling. In a recent post on his website Kyl appeared to be open to the idea of legalized online poker though not in regards to other forms of online gambling.
"Efforts to carve out an exception for games like poker, which many believe is a game of skill, may be considered later this year," Kyl said. "Until I have the chance to review them, I cannot make a judgment about their merits, but I will consider them carefully as long as they leave in place the broader proscriptions against online betting."
Kyl has long been a staunch anti-gambling proponent and was one of the driving forces behind the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and having the bill tacked onto a piece of must-pass security legislation. After the bill passed Kyl used his position on the Senate Finanace Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, to force the current administration to enact the provisions of the UIGEA by withholding his consent for the appointment of six nominees to the U.S. Treasury until the UIGEA was put into full effect. His sudden change of heart may have something to do with the millions of outraged players who were recently kicked off of their favorite online poker rooms or it may have to do with the fact that he recently announced that he does not plan to run for a fourth term. The fact that he and several other Republicans have softened up to the idea of online poker gives us a little hope that online poker could be legalized this year but considering that its coming from the same man who brought online gambling to its knees in the first place it may just be too little too late.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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