McCain Bucks Republican Party to Support Gambling and Casinos

But otherwise, it looks like McCain may be the candidate more likely to pursue legalizing gambling in both land and Internet forms if elected.

Obama supporters may deride John McCain's claims to being a political maverick, but McCain has proved himself willing to buck the Republican Party once again on issues with which they disagree. The latest example is casino gambling.

The Ohio ballot contains a provision for the establishment of a licensed casino in Clinton County. The Reublican Party in the state wanted to circulate a flyer supporting McCain, and also urging voters to vote against the casino proposal. But the McCain campaign overruled Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett, removing the no casino plea from the ad.

The problem is that McCain is generally a supporter of legalized gambling. The issue has not been trumpeted by his campaign, as many of the radical religious fringe of the party are virulently anti-gambling.

Still, McCain did not want to appear to support gambling issues in one state while rejecting them in another. McCain was one of the original supporters of tribal casinos, a program that has lifted thousands of Native Americans out of extreme poverty.

McCain's pro-gambling stance has actually been used by the Obama campaign as a way to divide Republicans. Without ever stating the Obama gambling position, the Democrats have run ads pounding McCain's historical gambling connections, seeking to discorage voting among the Republican base.

Interestingly enough, Obama has not discussed gambling beyond the willingness to "further study" the issue, even though many in his party have pushed for legislation regulating online casinos.

McCain does continue to favor keeping sports gambling, especially at the college level, illegal. After all, he's from Arizona, and it was Arizona State University's star basketball player, Stevin Smith, that was caught in a gambling corruption scandal a few years ago.

But otherwise, it looks like McCain may be the candidate more likely to pursue legalizing gambling in both land and Internet forms if elected.