Longtime internet poker opponent Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL, pictured) announced on Monday that he will not seek reelection next year. Bachus was first elected to the House in 1992. By the late 90s, he was part of a group of lawmakers who actively sought a ban on internet poker throughout America.

While he was simply part of a larger chorus of poker prohibitionists in 2006 when Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, he soon rose to become one of our biggest opponents on the Hill in the post-UIGEA era. Rep. Bachus is noted for frequently speaking out against our right to play in print media and at Congressional hearings.

While he may have lacked Rep. Robert Goodlatte‘s elocution or Sen. Jon Kyl‘s skill at developing alliances, Bachus certainly had a dogged perseverance.

He was negatively noted for a misrepresentation of a McGill University online gaming study. In discussing the McGill study on the House floor, Bachus claimed incorrectly that the study found that one-third of college students who had participated in online gambling attempted suicide.

Upon learning of this misrepresentation, Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky, head of McGill’s research team, sent letters to Congress attacking the statement as unfounded and without any merit whatsoever. Derevensky further stated that he believes online gaming ought to be licensed and regulated, not prohibited. The title of the McGill website update was “Shame on you Congressman Bachus; Get your facts straight before quoting a McGill Study.”

I wrote a few columns for BigGovernment.com specifically to respond to Rep. Bachus from the right (here, here, and here). My critique even made it into his Wikipedia article. Bachus responded by complaining on the House floor. Check that out by clicking here, starting at the 8:16 mark.

On a separate topic, Congress investigated Bachus for insider trading violations. He traded short options in September 2008, betting (pun intended) on a decline of the nation’s financial markets while serving as the Financial Services Committee Ranking Member. The Office of Congressional Ethics ultimately cleared him.

Remarking on his decision to leave Congress, Bachus remarked, ‘I feel in my heart that now is the time” to retire.

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