"Legalized gaming is not and never will be America's fiscal savior.

As if it's not nauseating enough that states are stampeding to the legalized gambling buffet as a way to feed their own spending frenzies, now U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing to legalize online poker as part of the already controversial tax bill being negotiated in Congress.

Enough already.

There may be good reasons to legalize Internet gambling but not now, and not as part of the tax legislation. Americans are worried about keeping their jobs, or getting a job, and paying their bills. They are still concerned about health care, and energy costs, and frustrated by the gridlock in Washington. Not many are worried about playing poker on their computers or helping the gambling enterprises that could profit from the games.

This raises the question of Sen. Reid's motives. Not too long ago the Nevada lawmaker was an online gaming opponent. Then, in November, workers employed in his state's gaming industry helped to carry him to victory in a nail-biting re-election bid. Now the senator has gone out on a limb to support a provision in the tax bill that would legalize, license and regulate Internet poker. It's a long shot in the lame-duck Congress and Sen. Reid knows that, but clearly he wants to appease the industry.

Gaming, whether at commercial or Native American casinos, racinos, state lotteries or high-stakes bingo, is a recognized form of recreation and entertainment for a segment of the population. And it generates revenue for governments. But lawmakers are showing how desperate they are for quick fixes by increasingly turning to it for new revenues."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Now's not the time to play poker card (The New London Day 12/13)

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