How Does Obama Really Feel About Poker?

In an election year, everyone watches the candidates. That's so obvious that we never think about it, but it's a basic fact that colors everything "we," the people and the candidates, do. This year, we're all living in a fishbowl.

Some background
Since the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), in 2006, the online gaming community has kept a close eye on political contests. Gamers want to know who's running for the open seats, and where they stand on Internet gambling. Let's face it: there's a large bloc of potential voters out there who want this Act repealed.

With this in mind, online casino and poker players have given the Presidential candidates some close scrutiny. Both have mixed records when it comes to online gaming, and neither has received a high rating from the Poker Players Alliance; McCain was given a D rating, and Obama only received a C.

Where Obama stands
That C rating of Obama's seems incongruous, but is it really? While an Illinois state senator, Obama voted against several restrictions on gambling (and voted 'present' on other similar bills), but not because he was opposed to gambling; rather, he stated that he didn't like the way those particular bills were written. This, from a man who says he enjoys a good poker game...

Obama's most recent cross party endorsement isn't likely to endear him to the PPA, either. Former Congressman Jim Leach, of Iowa, the GOP veteran who helped to write and sponsor the UIGEA, has thrown his weight behind Obama. What kind of repercussions will this have for Democratic nominee, the online gambling industry, and online gamers?

Probably, very little. We need to remember several points here. First, Leach is a defeated Congressman, and ex-Congressmen, while they may have some clout in their former district, no longer need to be reckoned with in government circles. Second, Obama has a personal history of dodging tough issues (remember those 'present' votes?). And finally, Leach never mentioned gambling in his endorsement; he said that he approves of Obama's desire for change in the way America does politics.

The bottom line
All of this adds up to a nice cross-party endorsement for Barack Obama, but not much else. Don't look for it to have any impact on Federal policy toward online gambling, either before or after the election.