Sen Reid bets on Internet poker as odds dwindle

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is pushing for a last-minute bill to legalize Internet poker -- at least for operators of existing brick-and-mortar casinos.

The measure is seen as a windfall for Las Vegas-based companies like MGM Resorts International, which closed down its online gambling operations nearly a decade ago amid regulatory uncertainties, and Caesars Entertainment, which operates the World Series of Poker. The bill, now under discussion. would legalize only Internet poker, not games like roulette or where players are betting against the casino. With Republicans set to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January, the casino industry believes the next couple of weeks are all that is left before the window of opportunity for legislation closes for at least several years. That is because groups like the Southern Baptist Convention and some key Republican lawmakers remain opposed to online gambling.