在当前横跨美国的经济风暴让大多数人很难明白情况，特别是所有的在线扑克玩家。
在线扑克是一个行业，客户需要自由流动的银行帐户和足够的资金支持他们的爱好，或在某些情况下，在线扑克是他们的职业生涯。
然而，尽管债务危机看起来像是一场的厄运笼罩在华尔街和白宫的上空，实际上这种情况可能是有利于在线扑克。
为了解决债务危机，奥巴马总统需要寻找很多很多钱。
事实上，在未来十年，美国政府需要寻找新的税收来源或削减开支。
这对在线扑克行业来说是一个千载难逢的机遇，它给政府创造一个全新的收入来源，只要政府将其合法化。
这是合乎逻辑的，但共和党和民主党需要撇开政党路线，考虑应该为国家做点什么实事来解决债务危机。
而到目前为止，参议院多数党领袖里德尚未对在线扑克合法化提出什么建设性意见。
内华达州参议员则发表了乐观的观念，在线扑克行业合法化有很大希望。扑克联盟执行董事约翰。帕帕斯说，国家领导人在这一问题上将至少踏出了第一步。
事实是，政府并没有高度重视在线扑克行业，在线扑克合法化是一个艰巨的任务。
这些人可能会决定在线扑克命运：
民主党参议员帕蒂默里（华盛顿州），鲍卡斯（Mont.）和约翰克里（马萨诸塞州），共和党参议员凯尔（亚利桑那州），波特曼（俄亥俄州）和帕特里克J. Toomey的（宾夕法尼亚州），泽维尔贝塞拉（加利福尼亚州）和克里斯凡浩伦（马里兰州），民主党众议员詹姆斯克莱伯恩（SC）和共和党众议员大卫营（密歇根州），杰布Hensarling（德克萨斯州）和弗雷德厄普顿（密歇根。）
凯尔2011年在他的网站上写道，提供在线扑克合法化使某些地区的非法赌博活动的执法行为得到了加强。
在线扑克行业合法化是一个复杂的问题，政府也需要做大量的工作，例如它属于什么行业的税？需要多少钱才能形成产业？以及他们将如何去实施和执行他们的监督和管理？
扑克玩家联盟正在竭尽所能地为玩家请愿，呼吁委员会的所有成员以及自己的政治代表为此做出努力。
帕帕斯说，在线扑克要想合法化，就需要得到更多委员和政治代表的支持。
译文：
US Debt Crisis Could Save Online Poker
With the current economic turmoil being felt across the United States and indeed most of the world it’s hard to fathom the situation being good for anyone, least of all online poker.
It’s an industry that relies on customers having a free flowing bank account and sufficient funds to healthily support their hobby, or in some cases their career.
However while it may seem like all doom and gloom on Wall Street and around the Whitehouse, this situation could actually be beneficial for online poker.
At the end of the day the situation is that President Obama needs to find more money, a lot more money.
In fact over the coming decade the United States government needs to find almost one and a half trillion in new revenue or spending cuts.
That’s a monumental ask at the best of times, let alone given that they are also trying to do so without levies to income tax thresholds.
That’s where online poker comes in, it gives the Government a unique opportunity to create a whole new revenue stream that as yet doesn’t exist.
The plan quite simply would be to legalise the industry while their own measure son it which give them a much needed boost of funds.
It seems like the logical outcome but once again it will come down to the Republicans and the Democrats putting aside their party lines to do what’s best for the country.
As yet it’s something that hasn’t happened but according to Senate majority leader Harry Reid there is hope yet.
The Nevada based senator gave an optimistic outlook when questioned about the future of online poker saying that it, “will get done”。
It’s given a renewed sense of confidence to the Poker Players Alliance with executive director John Pappas saying they will at least take the first step.
“I think there’s a very good chance we’re going to get in the discussion,” he said.
“Whether it makes it into the final recommendation is the question.”
As it stands the Government is working under the Budget Control Act of 2011, the agreement reached earlier in the month which raised the debt ceiling level allowing the country to accrue even more debt.
The fact is that the Government has a massive task on their hands and the legalisation of online poker one way or another actually isn’t an area of high importance.
They need to find a number of ways to increase to decrease the debt in the treasury and online poker will simply be one aspect of sweeping reforms.
That’s probably a good thing for the poker industry as it certainly limits the amount of blunt opposition it can receive due to the fact doing nothing on the broader scope is no longer an option.
The tough thing here though is the fact that the committee needs to come to a majority agreement.
That’s not going to be easy given the six and six makeup between republicans and democrats.
It would be almost impossible to see a single member breaking party lines due to the fact the selected members were chosen due to the fierce loyalty to their leader.
That means it would need to be a complete bipartisan agreement, history tells us that’s far from a smooth process.
In the end then these are the people who will likely decide the fate of online poker.
The 12 members are Democratic Sens. Patty Murray （Wash.）， Max Baucus （Mont.） and John F. Kerry （Mass.）， Republican Sens. Jon Kyl （Ariz.）， Rob Portman （Ohio） and Patrick J. Toomey （Pa.）， Democratic Reps. James Clyburn （S.C.）， Xavier Becerra （Calif.） and Chris Van Hollen （Md.）， and Republican Reps. Dave Camp （Mich.）， Jeb Hensarling （Texas） and Fred Upton （Mich.）。
These politicians have been far from supportive of online poker in the past, but that’s no the be all and end all given the different context that things will be viewed through now.
That being said it looks like some individuals could be more crucial than others.
“Even though Reid is not on the commission, he appointed people who are. If Kyl and Reid can compromise on a deal to include online poker, I think it can happen. It’s handing Congress revenue without raising taxes, which is exactly what they’re looking for.”
Kyl wrote on his website earlier in 2011 that he would be willing to debate the legalisation of online poker providing that certain areas of the unlawful gambling enforcement act were strengthened.
Will these developments may be a cause for optimism among the online poker world they are far from being giant steps in the right direction.
As yet the committee doesn’t even has a start date and there’s no way to tell how high on the priority list they determine this proposal to be.
It’s a complex issue given the government would also need to work out how they would tax the industry, how much money they’d make form the industry and how they would go about implementing and enforcing their controls.
The Poker Players Alliance is attempting to cease this new opportunity as best they can with calls for players to petition all the members of the committee as well as their own political representatives.
