John McCain says “Internet Gambling is not top priority”

Online gambling has become a major headache for the U.S administration, not only because it has caused a negative reaction from the offshore gambling industry, but also because it is also creating a division between those who oppose a possible legalization and those who want to ease the politics and restrictions that make online gambling illegal. The government position is also fractioning the congress, there have been several attempts to amend the gambling bill in almost two years since the UIGEA bill was approved, however the effort has been insufficient and so far the situation don’t look very promising for the online gaming industry.

In an interview with a Las Vegas Review Journal, the Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, declared that making changes of to amend the infamous ban on Internet gambling is not a very high priority and that plans to correct the UIGEA are not included yet in his future administration agenda.

"The economy is what's hurting the gaming industry in Las Vegas today. It isn't sports betting or Internet gaming." McCain said.

McCain doesn’t seem to be familiar with the current situation on online gaming, first he tried to correct some points regarding his position, and then he declared that it its Arizona’s Sen. Jon Kyl's problem. As we know, Kyl is co-responsible of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act and as part of the “war” he declared against online gaming and sportsbetting.

"I haven't thought about the issue," McCain expressed when a Las Vegas reporter asked him again about his position on gambling and possible strategies to fix the situation.

The Las Vegas hotels and casinos have supported a possible online gambling legalization, their point is that online poker and online gambling in general has provided the Las Vegas casinos with a major economic improve thanks to the World Series of Poker, which is advertised mostly through online play and online poker sites. McCain only said that he’s is concerned about the problems gambling can cause among underage gamblers, which is one of the “clichés” used by most gambling foes. McCain’s declarations caused the reaction of several well-known figures in the world of online gambling who have decided to quit their financial support to the McCain campaign.