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We don't know if Arizona Democratic Senator challenger Jim Pederson has ever placed a bet in his life or sat down at the poker table to call someone's bluff. What we do know is that the online poker community has come together to ensure Arizona state online gamers and potential voters know that Pederson's opponent, Jon Kyl, co-sponsored the bill that would ban internet poker. As such, thousands of Arizona citizens are now poised to vote for Jim Pederson, with the assumption that he is the lesser of two evils....at least when it comes to ensuring the rights of poker players.
And it's not just the online poker community that has gone on the warpath against Jon Kyl. Sports betting websites, particularly the sports handicapping industry which has been hurt by the recent passage of Kyl's bill, have been working in earnest to get the word out to Arizona citizens. Essentially, a vote for Jon Kyl will mean you'll never be playing poker online again.
One of the largest sports handicapping related websites in the world pumped out just over 125,000 emails exclusively to Arizona residents with the message urging them not to vote for Jon Kyl.
"This isn't so much about pushing people to vote for Jim Pederson as it is urging Arizona citizens not to vote for Jon Kyl," commented Christopher Costigan, President of Gambling911.com. "There is after all another candidate on the ballot running as an independent. Of course we'd be remiss in pointing out that the best chance for a Jon Kyl loss would be by voting for the Democratic challenger, Jim Pederson."
Some individuals have been contributing to the Jim Pederson campaign nonetheless at http://www.actblue.com/page/pokerplayers#8827 via an independent website and the group calling itself "Poker Players Against Jon Kyl". But most poker players are being urged to simply show their contempt at the polls come Election Day November 7. The fact is, poker players in particular aren't exactly enamored by any politicians - Republican or Democrat - to be supporting their campaigns monetarily. Pederson has essentially won over their support by default.
Kyl, once considered invincible during the mid-term Senate Elections race and a possible candidate for Senate Majority Leader, has watched a giant edge deduced to just 5 percentage points.
Rising voter angst over the Iraq war and dissatisfaction with President Bush are other components dragging down support for Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Another issue that arose with the passing of the internet gambling prohibition was the way in which Jon Kyl got it done. The provision was attached to a port security bill during the final hours before Congress adjourned for Election Day Recess. The internet gambling provision replaced measures that would have improved mass transit and rail security. As such, a number of individuals questioned Kyl's commitment to US security. Jon Kyl has been trying to pass his internet gambling prohibition every year since 1998.
The Arizona media has also caught on to the Poker Players Against Jon Kyl campaign with publication in at least one major state newspaper likely in the coming days.
"We believe that in one way or another, our message will reach at minimum a million Arizona citizens whether they gamble or not," said Costigan. "Those of us involved with the internet gambling industry are familiar enough with odds to realize that Jon Kyl's chances of losing this race are fairly slim, but we do anticipate our collective efforts as an industry to make this a much tighter race."
Jon Kyl remained a -500 favorite to win the Arizona Senate race at Sportsbook.com while Pederson would pay out $300 for every $100 bet should he win.
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