Enlarge By Todd Plitt, USA TODAY The Mohegan Sun resort and casino is located in Uncasville, Conn., on the Mohegan Indian Reservation. Although efforts to ban off-reservation gaming died in Congress, the Interior Department is considering regulations that could restrict development of new Indian casinos on off-reservation sites.

The industry is expected to spend millions more this year as those issues heat up again in Washington.

The $25 million the gaming industry spent on lobbying in 2006 was a slight increase over the previous year's total, but down from the $28.5 million spent four years ago. Overall, companies, associations and other groups spent $2.5 billion on lobbying in Washington last year, with the pharmaceutical industry topping the charts at $166.5 million.

The spending came amid controversy over public corruption scandals involving convicted former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who admitted to bilking wealthy American Indian gaming tribes.

"Even though we didn't have anything to do with it, we all tend to get labeled," said Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., president of the American Gaming Association, which spent $900,000 last year lobbying on behalf of commercial casinos.

Still, the gambling industry fared pretty well in Washington, he said. And he expects casinos will do even better this year because of a new cast of leaders in Congress who understand the industry.

They include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat who has been a strong casino advocate; Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the House Judiciary Committee chairman.

The industry also has Republican allies in powerful posts, including Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican, who now heads the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Much of the gambling industry's 2006 lobbying centered on legislation to ban online betting. The measure became law after former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., inserted it into an unrelated bill passed late last year.

Internet gaming supporters want lawmakers to reverse the ban before some of the regulations go into effect this summer.

The Poker Players Alliance, which lobbied heavily against the ban recently hired former New York senator and poker enthusiast Alfonse D'Amato to lead the group's effort this year. D'Amato's message to former colleagues: the U.S. government could generate $3 billion in taxes a year if it regulated the industry.

"There are millions of Americans who love poker and who feel strongly their rights were taken away in the last session," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, which paid another lobbying firm $540,000 last year to work against the bill. "It's an overreach of the federal government that needs to be rectified."

The alliance already has some support in Congress for repealing the ban. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, told The Financial Times last week that the Internet gambling ban was one of the "stupidest" bills ever passed.

Meanwhile, two Nevada lawmakers, Reps. Shelley Berkley, a Democrat, and Jon Porter, a Republican, are drafting a proposal to study ways to regulate online gambling.

Gaming experts question whether the issue will gain any traction.

"It's a subject the public cares somewhat about," said Robin Hanson, an economics professor at George Mason University who studies the gambling industry. "But they're not overwhelmingly passionate about it."

Hanson says it's usually more difficult for Congress to repeal anti-gambling measures than to pass them because it's the kind of issue most politicians don't want to promote.

"Usually, the way gambling grows is by neglect," he said.

Although efforts to ban off-reservation gaming died in Congress, the Interior Department is considering regulations that could restrict development of new Indian casinos on off-reservation sites.

Dozens of tribes who want to build casinos — in some cases hundreds of miles from their reservations — are lobbying against the rules. But many wealthy gaming tribes support new regulations, saying the practice has led to "reservation shopping."

Tribal governments are also monitoring the actions of the National Indian Gaming Commission, which wants to make bingo machines used in certain Indian casinos work slower so they won't resemble Las Vegas-style slot machines.

Despite the high-stakes measures affecting Indian casinos that Congress considered last year, the $16 million tribes spent on lobbying was about 25% less than they spent in 2003, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Experts attribute the drop-off to the Abramoff scandal.

"Since the Abramoff scandal, they have taken more care in selecting lobbyists to represent them," said Roger Gros, editor of the magazine Global Gaming Business. "They're much more selective on where they spend their money."

Posted 54d ago
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Comments: (5)

face01 wrote: 53d ago

Didn't you know that lobbing is a perk that elected are obliged to take. I mean how can they maintain their lavish lifestye on what the Gov't pays them?

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commonsense19 wrote: 53d ago

"Let the ban stay. I love to play poker on-line, but I like to play for free with "play money". I had been shut out of my favorite Texas Holdem gaming site for months because according to the site, they were almost full with "paying gamblers" - so people gambling with "play money" could only login between the hours of 2am-7am.Well, I work full time - even on the weekends I can't stay up that late. I did find another site, but I was very miffed.Then all of a sudden I was able to login to my favorite site again (I tried periodically for months) - there was a message regarding the "unfortunate U.S. law banning online gaming". I felt very fortunate that this law enabled me to play for free! I win - the greedy gambling site loses!"

Greedy Gambling site?
Ok, now you want to shut out the poker players that play for real money but be able to play for free too? Who do you think kept those sites online so you could play for free? Do you think the Poker sites don't need incoming revenue to stay open? Where did they get that money from to be able to keep the site up so you could play for free? It came from the poker players that play with real money. I am sure there are thousands of people who want to finance free poker playing sites so soccer Mom's like you can play for free. Also poker is considered a game of skill not gambling so technically the US Government should not be able to regulate it. The banning of gambling sites is done to appease the Church people who have nothing better to do then butt into other peoples business. I love how hypocritical these Right wing conservatives Bible thumpers are. They don't want gambling yet how many casino nights are there at churches, Moose Lodges, Knights of Columbus' and other place they attend?

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sidacuna wrote: 53d ago

Now, this is bribing terrorists wearing 3 piece suits in america for protection similar to what Chiquita banana did with FARC guerrilla in Colombia. Chiquita paid fine of $25 millions after found guilty by a federal court. after being prosecuted by Bush appointed US attorneys. Maybe the native americans will face the same fate.

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jtg61 wrote: 53d ago

The vice business is big money with the biggest lobbies. Tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical and gambling interests will continue to feed off the misery of these addictions.

The only reason illicit drugs and prostitution aren’t legal yet is because they don’t have entrenched lobbies. Congress would prefer to partake in these vices behind closed doors in Washington D.C.

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MiddleClassMom wrote: 54d ago

Let the ban stay. I love to play poker on-line, but I like to play for free with "play money". I had been shut out of my favorite Texas Holdem gaming site for months because according to the site, they were almost full with "paying gamblers" - so people gambling with "play money" could only login between the hours of 2am-7am.

Well, I work full time - even on the weekends I can't stay up that late. I did find another site, but I was very miffed.

Then all of a sudden I was able to login to my favorite site again (I tried periodically for months) - there was a message regarding the "unfortunate U.S. law banning online gaming". I felt very fortunate that this law enabled me to play for free! I win - the greedy gambling site loses!

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