All That Is Wrong With Washington

In exchange for generous campaign contributions, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is agressively promoting Internet Gambling that would allow you to bankrupt yourself in the convenience of your own home.

Democracy for sale comes cheap!


State lottery chief eyes Internet gambling measure

CONCORD – The executive director of the state Lottery Commission is closely monitoring a potentially troubling effort on Capitol Hill to legalize Internet gambling, while an outgoing member of Congress calls it an example of Washington at its worst.

Charles McIntyre of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission said Thursday that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's effort to tuck a measure that would legalize online poker into the massive tax cut/unemployment benefits extension bill could hurt lottery revenue to the state, depending on what form a final bill takes.

McIntyre said it appears that the Nevada Democrat's plan would contain an opt-out provision for each state, and, if so, he said, he would "obviously" recommend that New Hampshire not participate.

"Gambling," McIntyre said, "has historically been a states rights issue."

According to reports from Washington, Reid is pushing the plan to help Las Vegas casino companies that contributed heavily to his campaign prior to his narrow reelection victory.

NBC News reported that Reid's draft bill, which he has been circulating among colleagues for about a week, would permit U.S. casino companies to set up their own Internet poker sites and tap into a massive overseas online gambling market.

NBC reported that the proposal was drafted "to make sure that the first licenses would be granted to casinos in states with large and 'established' regulatory programs overseeing more than $2 billion in gambling revenue, guaranteeing that big Las Vegas casino companies would have a leg up over potential competitors, especially Indian tribes in other states."

The measure could generate as much as $10 billion to $40 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years, according to the NBC report.

It is unclear how the Reid plan will fare. He has yet to have it formally inserted into the compromise bill, and some Republicans are reportedly opposed, but his powerful position could give him enough leverage to succeed.

But a source in Democratic New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office said it is unlikely the Reid plan will ultimately be attached to the tax plan. The source also said Shaheen has heard from Gov. John Lynch's office about it, is aware of the state Lottery Commission's concerns and will monitor the legislation should it move forward.

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg has taken no position on the measure, a spokesman said.

Outgoing Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter said the Reid plan is an example of "everything that's wrong with Washington."

She said she opposes expanded gambling in its own right, and also feels Reid's approach is wrong.

Shea-Porter is also vehemently opposed to the overall tax cut extension compromise between President Barack Obama and the Republicans.

"Should we borrow $900 billion to give tax cuts to the wealthy and then do Internet gambling for whatever reasons besides? No," she said.

A spokesman for Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes did not respond to a request for comment.

Lynch spokesman Colin Manning said that since the Reid plan came up "rather suddenly and there is no language, it is unclear what impact it would have on New Hampshire."

Lynch last spring considered briefly proposing Internet gambling for the state, but did not pursue the proposal.

A Lottery Commission plan last summer that would have allowed scratch ticket buyers to check online if their tickets were winners was abandoned amid concern voiced by lawmakers.

Commission Chair Debra Douglas said, "We try to keep our radar active for any kind of legislation, federal and state, that would impact our ability to create revenue for the state."

McIntyre said he has followed the Reid plan closely.

He said that without a state-by-state opt-out provision, "I doubt it would pass constitutional muster. You would be allowing Internet poker gambling in a state that didn't want it."

"Anything that hurts (the Lottery Commission), hurts revenue to the state, and we're cognizant of that," he said. "It would make sense to opt out."

McIntyre said, "There has never been a national game and most states take the opinion that you should not force it on a state without a state's consent."

Jim Rubens of the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling believes the Reid plan has a strong chance of passing.

"It's promising some big bucks, so the budget balancers are eyeing it," he said. "It definitely has a chance. That's why so much effort is being put into this."

Rubens and others have said that Internet gambling essentially potentially brings a gambling site into every home.

Commenting earlier this year on another federal Internet gambling plan, Rubens said, "It would be a disaster for those concerned about social and family health and gambling addiction, particularly teenage gambling addiction."