Poker stall

California Rep. Mary Bono Mack, chairwoman of the commerce, manufacturing and trade subcommittee, on Tuesday urged Congress to go slow in considering whether to legalize Internet poker. "There's just way too much here that has to be fleshed out to put it into the work of the supercommittee," where sponsors had hoped the tax revenue from re-legalization could help meet a goal of reducing the federal budget deficit by a modest $1.2 trillion.

"We have to find a balance of moving it and balancing the technological problems with the policy problems," Rep. Bono said. "I think to rush it would be a mistake."

Really? Federal cops didn't seem to have wasted a lot of time working on any delicate balancing of the desires of players against the perceived need for regulatory protection when they stepped in to shut down three major online gambling sites in April.

Yes, Congress has certainly demonstrated the dangers of racing an unread statute into law ("so we can find out what's in it," in the famous coinage of Rep. Nancy Pelosi). But as former Sen. Alphonse D'Amato -- who now chairs the 1.2-million strong Poker Players' Alliance -- points out, "Internet poker has not gone away and it is hard to envision a scenario where it will."

Some study and deliberation to avoid unintended consequences? Fine. But while the regulatory technology may need examination, the "policy problems" -- basically, whether adults should be prevented from wagering from the privacy of their homes -- are water under the bridge. The question now is whether players will be left to the vagaries of offshore operators or whether they shall be offered the security of regulation by authorities with decades of experience, and sites branded with such familiar names as MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Station Casinos, while state and federal budgets enjoy an infusion of what could be billions of dollars.