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Online gaming supporters breathed a sigh of relief this week when two of the biggest supports of regulated gambling were re-elected to Congress. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Barney Frank both survived major scares to win re-election.
Reid, who had been behind in the polls against Tea Party champion Sharron Angel turned out a surprise 6 point victory to help keep a Democratic majority in the Senate. He received some much needed support from the American Gaming Association (AGA) and a number of well known poker pros campaigned for him on Election Day via twitter including Phil Hellmuth.
And, after his victory, Reid addressed his cheering supporters on the Las Vegas Strip by saying, "I've run in some tough elections no one thought I could win. We are proof that a test is tough only if you're not tough...Nevada chose to move forward, not backwards."
Meanwhile Frank, who is the biggest advocate for online poker in Congress, won by a comfortable 11 points. A defeat for Frank would have meant the end of the Internet Gambling Regulation Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act which hopes to repeal the unpopular UIGEA and regulate the online gaming industry.
With both politicians still in office it is possible that the online gaming regulation could be passed into law sometime in the next year.
As always stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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