On Friday, an article in the Las Vegas Sun newspaperchronicled the forthcoming online poker bill in the United States to be introduced by Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX). Among those who weighed in on the legislation was a staunch internet gambling opponent and the Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Spencer Bachus (R-AL, pictured). Surprisingly, Bachus did not tell the Sun that he was opposed to considering the bill.

Bachus explained, “I’m not opposed [to considering Barton’s proposal]. But if there’s gambling, it has to be regulated.” This is the same Congressman who once invented a study from McGill University in Canada saying that one-third of internet gamblers ultimately attempted suicide. In fact, no study ever occurred.

Rich TheEngineerMuny (pictured), recently named the Vice President of Player Relations for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), gave his two cents on Bachus’ possible change of heart: “We are encouraged that he’s not opposing it outright. We hope to work with the entire Congress to see the wisdom of licensing and regulating the game we all love.”

Barton told the Sun that he is, like fellow Republican and PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, a poker player: “I love to play poker. When I was in the minority, I told (other lawmakers), ‘You’re in the majority, do something about it.’ But now I’m in the majority and I’m trying to get it going.”

Barton’s bill has not yet been released from the Legislative Counsel and no time line has been given as to when we might see the measure, which will be referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. There, Fred Upton (R-MI) serves as Chairman, while Henry Waxman (D-CA) is the Ranking Member. Online poker will have an “ace up its sleeve,” as Barton is Chairman Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

In late 2010, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV, pictured) was rumored to be introducing a bill to legalize and regulate internet poker in the United States. Reid was purportedly seeking to add an online poker rider to must-pass legislation as the Congressional session ticked down, but nothing ever came to fruition.

The Sun labeled Reid and Barton a “dream team for the online gaming community and its efforts to legalize internet poker – and internet poker only – this year.” It added that Barton’s bill would be released over the summer.

When it is introduced, Barton claims that consensus exists to push the measure through. He told the Sun, “This is not a Republican leadership initiative, but they’re aware of it. It’s a sensitive issue, but an issue where there’s a majority consensus in the House and Senate to make this change.”

Even Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), who helped push through the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) five years ago, may be coming around.

A half-decade after the UIGEA uprooted the online poker market in the United States, Kyl posted on his website, “Efforts to carve out an exception for games like poker, which many believe is a game of skill, may be considered later this year. Until I have the chance to review them, I cannot make a judgment about their merits, but I will consider them carefully as long as they leave in place the broader proscriptions against online betting.”

You can find Muny and other PPA executives at the ongoing World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. The PPA is staffing a booth on weekends during the 2011 WSOP, which kicked off on May 31st and runs through mid-July.

While the PPA is in the house, the Black Friday online poker indictments have resulted in players like Full Tilt Pokerpro Phil Ivey not participating in the annual tournament series.

In a recent interview with NPR, Associated Press reporter Oskar Garcia discussed the impact of Ivey’s absence this year: “It’s sort of like, as one lawyer put it to me, Michael Jordan not showing up to the NBA Finals.”

Meanwhile, the PPA continues to mobilize its troops. Poker players have sent 883 letters to members of Congress from its booth at the Rio. Muny will be on hand this weekend and, in a letter sent to PPA members on Friday, noted that his door is always open: “If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by the PPA WSOP booth, introduce yourself, and discuss anything on your mind about the fight, the organization, and anything else about which you wish to talk.”

Visit the Poker Legislation forum for the latest from the PPA and Capitol Hill.