
Nevada Senator and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is leaving Congress and making a void that is massive gambling lobbyists must fill.
Gambling lobbyists are looking for their next right-hand man.
While Americans are pondering who should obtain presidential vote in November, the American Gaming Association (AGA) is scouring for a brand new congressional politician to greatly help charter their motion.
The AGA, along with other lobbyists advocating for the advancement of casino-friendly regulations, recognize that a giant hole will need to be filled come 2017 whenever Nevada Senator Harry Reid (D) retires from Congress. After 34 years in Washington, DC, Reid will leave his office at the chronilogical age of 77 after the latest Year.
Born in Searchlight and raised in Henderson, Nevada, a town just 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Reid happens to be the main gambling figure in Congress throughout his lengthy career that is political.
‘we have had a gift in Harry Reid,’ Caesars Executive Vice President of Government Relations Jan Jones Blackhurst told the Washington Post recently. ‘All of us are acutely aware that the strong voice we always had representing the industry in Washington will be diminished.’
In accordance with the middle for Responsive Politics, $18.8 million has been spent lobbying by casinos in 2016. Though that is of course substantial, it pales in comparison to the $37.2 million invested in 2015.
Gambling Candidates
Reid has endorsed former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D) to become his successor. Hailing from Las Vegas and a graduate of University of Nevada, Masto’s father Manny Cortez and Reid had been close friends until his death.
Manny Cortez was the head regarding the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for decades and also served as Clark County Commissioner.
Catherine Masto’s opponent is US Rep. Joseph Heck (R-Nevada). Heck is from Pennsylvania and a graduate of Penn State University, but moved towards the Silver State in 1992 where he worked as a physician.
Heck presently holds a four-point advantage over Masto in line with the Real Clear Politics polling average. That is clearly a good sign for both Donald Trump while the Republican Party, as Nevada is just a key swing state once again and the GOP may also be trying to retain its majority in the united states Senate.
Democratic Leader
Although both Masto or Heck could be anticipated to appeal to the passions of casino companies in some capacity, neither would carry the influence on Capitol Hill that Reid possessed while serving as both Senate Majority and Minority Leader during his tenure.
Instead, the AGA will be finding more people that are influential congress, and ones with some kind of seniority. Preferably, that person is going to be the leader that is next of Democratic Party in the united states Senate.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) is the favorite to replace Reid due to the fact dominant Democrat in the top chamber.
In accordance with VoteSmart.org, An database that is online tracks legislative yays and nays, Schumer doesn’t have any votes on federal gambling legislation. However, Schumer has stated in the past that he’s ‘always been for gambling’ as long as it benefits New York.
Regardless, Schumer will be no Reid for casinos. ‘ I do not think anybody is comfortable with losing Senator Reid,’ Jones Blackhurst concluded.
Definitely those on the conservative side of the aisle that is political gladly bid Reid adieu.
Cash Man Sheldon Adelson Gets a Seat at First Presidential Debate
A real time audience ticket to the most-watched US presidential debate in US history must be harder to find than orchestra seats towards the Broadway hit show ‘Hamilton dolphin treasure slots jugar gratis.’ But when you’re the person behind the mammoth super PAC (super political action committee) that’s funding one of many two candidates on stage, that candidate being your other billionaire, that seat might have already been a little easier to land.
Donald Trump supporter Sheldon Adelson, seen right here in August during the RNC, scored only a third-row seat for the initial presidential debate on Monday, September 26. (Image: Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Sheldon Adelson is spending in the community of $100 million of his own money on said super PAC for GOP candidate Donald Trump, hoping to ensure that Hillary Clinton never once more calls the White House her home. The Las vegas, nevada Sands multibillionaire is hoping he can use his wide range to help land the somewhat Donald that is less-billionish Trump the Oval Office come January 2017.
During initial of three presidential debates, it was obvious Adelson is the Republican Party’s many benefactor that is important the 2016 election.
Held at Hofstra University on Long Island, Adelson, his wife Marion, and two other personal visitors, were seated in row three of the arena. Adelson’s team sat directly behind VP nominee Mike Pence and Trump’s progeny in the row that is first and Republican nationwide Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and trusted policy advisor Senator Jeffrey Sessions (R-Alabama) in the second. Sessions was apparently instrumental in helping Trump select mate that is running Indiana Governor Mike Pence to join him on the GOP ticket.
Evidently household and party power players trump even the biggest financial backers whenever it comes to benefit for debate seating.
As for the action on the actual Hofstra stage, Clinton, who hinted she would not engage Trump on petty issues prior to the occasion, did just that, and Trump took the bait.
Moderator Lester Holt attempted to keep the candidates dedicated to speaking about the economy, trade, race relations, terrorism, and foreign policy, but the narrative changed in the second half of the clash. Holt asked Trump to guard his questioning that is long of President Obama was born in the usa, and also asked the GOP nominee about a comment he made where he stated Clinton doesn’t always have a ‘presidential look.’
‘She doesn’t have the look. She doesn’t always have the stamina . . . to be president of this national country, you’ll need tremendous stamina,’ Trump responded.
‘He tried to switch from looks to stamina,’ Clinton responded. ‘But this is often a man who may have called women pigs, slobs, and dogs.’
‘I never ever said that,’ Trump rebutted.
Clinton Wins, But Trump Doesn’t Lose
The polls immediately following the debate revealed a slight edge towards Clinton in deciding who won the debate. Other pundits said Trump held their own, and since he was the underdog entering the competition, he effectively won.
The win that is biggest was Clinton’s avoidance of any significant conversation on her private email server, which a few post-debate critics called Trump on the carpet for maybe not mentioning more vociferously.
Internet security ended up being a subject throughout the debate, as the two discussed the threat that is ongoing of espionage from countries like Russia and China. It ended up being a chance missed by Trump to bring into question Clinton’s unsecured email server hosting classified information, which she utilized during her time as secretary of state.
Adelson likely could have enjoyed an improved response on internet safety from his prospect. He has long championed the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), the anti-online gambling federal measure, on concerns that online casinos cannot adequately protect against minors accessing these web sites, and the fear that it’ll create a nation of compulsive gamblers.
But RAWA is a huge failure in Congress.
This week, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) introduced S.3376, a bill that seeks to overturn the 2011 Department of Justice opinion that determined that the 1961 Wire Act applied only to sports gambling. The DOJ’s opinion essentially allowed states to legalize specific kinds of online gambling.
Cosponsored by original RAWA writer Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), S.3376 is visiting be known in gambling circles as RAWA 2.0.
Sports and Politics regarding the Agenda
Worth about $30 billion, Adelson is showing no indications of slowing at the chronilogical age of 83.
Earlier this month, he was in Macau for the opening of their brand new $2.7 billion casino that is posh the Parisian (no reference to the Paris in nevada). He’ll now get back home to Sin City to carry on his efforts to relocate the Oakland Raiders and get a major nfl stadium funded, and in record time.
Adelson would like to bring NFL games to Vegas, and has pledged some of their own cash to construct the proposed 65,000-seat stadium.
Meanwhile, at his own Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las vegas, nevada, the gaming that is global (G2E) happens to be discussing the continuing future of gambling, having a focus on eSports and sportsbetting. The show runs through to September 29. It’s all a bit six-degrees-of-separation, politically and financially talking.
But Adelson is most passionate about Trump defeating Clinton. In addition to the earlier mentioned $100 million, Adelson is pledging another $25 million to an anti-Clinton PAC that are super.
And in August, Adelson gave $1.5 million to your RNC to cover a shortfall stemming from overages at the Republican National Convention.
President of Turkey Shows Displeasure Over Access to Neighboring Georgia’s Casinos
A new potential for dissidence has arisen in troubled Turkey, where President Recep Erdogan has tightened his authoritarian grip on the country since the failed dramatic coup d’etat on July 15 of this year. And it’s really one that Erdogan can not quite so effortlessly control.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan is determined to power down casinos in neighboring Georgia, but there are some plain items that a good dictatorial president can’t control. (Image: sigmalive.com)
To make sure, thousands have been arrested in the wake of this attempted seizure of energy by way of a faction within the Turkish armed forces. And those consist of not just alleged plotters, but additionally judges, educators, and reporters, prompting fears that Erdogan is using the coup as a pretext to muzzle his critics.
One thing Erdogan cannot touch, however, are the gambling enterprises nationwide’s north-eastern border with neighboring Georgia. The thought of hard-working Turks disappearing over the border and coming back with their pockets empty is more than the hardliner Erdogan can bear for a hardline conservative whose Islamist leanings are in contrast with the country’s tradition of secularist political culture.
Bring Back Our Husbands
Casinos were banned in Turkey in 1998, and online casinos in 2006, but in 2012, Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan signed what became known as the Trabzon Declaration june. This treaty increased ties between three Caucasus powers and permitted a new freedom of movement of people across their mutual borders.
Turkey’s ambassador in the Georgian Dead Sea resort of Batumi immediately reported that legions of Turks would ‘close their shops and head directly to the casinos here.’ And wives that are turkish he said, had been already calling the ambassador’s office, demanding to know where their husbands were.
It was thought that Erdogan might make use of the failed coup as a justification to shut the edge, which would in change stem that tide of casino-goers. Alternatively, as well as perhaps surprisingly for a man who’s not famous for his finesse, he’s taken a more diplomatic approach.
Based on reports in the region’s news earlier in the day this thirty days, Erdogan asked the previous Georgian president, Bidzina Ivanishvili, to pull some strings to have the casinos shut down in that country.
No Dice
‘I remember once I had a meeting with Erdogan the first thing he asked me was to close these casinos,’ Ivanishivili told journalists. ‘Many originate from Turkey to play right here and [they] lose a fortune but so what can we do?’
Billionaire Ivanishivili ‘retired’ from politics in 2013, but Erdogan knew he had been the go-to-guy. According to political scientist Kornely Kakachia, he could be ‘outside democratic control, outside institutional checks and balances, yet he is ultimately calling the shots, which puts Georgia in a vulnerable position both vis-à-vis democracy and foreign policy.’
And to Erdogan’s disappointment the old oligarch did not bite.
‘This is a type of business, people it boosts tourism,’ Ivanishvili said like it and. ‘To be truthful I would personally be happy to ban gambling but this plays a part in our economy so we can’t have very strict approach.’
And that means the ambassador’s office in Batumi will be besieged by phone telephone calls from irate Turkish spouses for the future that is foreseeable.
