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Just a year ago, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid was busy making it his mission to prove that Nevada Sen. Dean Heller was inept at the delicate art of culling votes for Internet poker legislation.

Now that there’s no Shelley Berkley candidacy to defend, though, Reid can’t stop singing praises for Heller’s prowess in reviving the online gaming debate.

“This was a very, very good hearing,” Reid said of a meeting Heller ran this morning in the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection.

“I helped him prepare for this,” Reid said.

But just because Reid and Heller are all smiles doesn’t mean online poker has a clear path through Congress.

While there is near-universal concern about the security of online gambling, not everyone believes that online poker should get a special carve-out if Congress tries to walk back the Obama administration’s 2011 interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act.

That interpretation, which validated online gaming within individual states, irrevocably changed the climate around Internet gambling — so much so that some online poker advocates, such as Rep. Joe Barton, have given up the fight.

Barton released a poker bill Tuesday that is silent on the question of the 1961 Wire Act.

That doesn’t sit well with Reid, who politely threw water on Barton’s idea in an interview with Nevada reporters Wednesday.

“I don’t want to denigrate anybody that’s trying to do something well,’ Reid said. “That’s not my approach, but at least it’s an approach.”

In draft Internet poker legislation Reid and Heller were trying to sell to their colleagues last Congress, they envisioned a full walk-back of the 1961 Wire Act to the point of declaring all transactions for online gambling illegal, save for those facilitating online poker games.

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At the stroke of midnight Monday, a boycott of the poker room at Sheldon Adelson's Venetian began.

But virtually no change was visible Monday afternoon. Dozens of visitors crowded the tables.

The only sign of a boycott was online, where local poker pros took to blogs to rage over Adelson's aggressive campaign against online gambling. The disgruntled players appeared to be the only ones taking part in the five-day boycott.

"This isn’t a fight about profits," poker insider Nolan Dalla, who sparked the protest in a widely read blog post, wrote June 27. "It’s about making a statement. Let’s do whatever we can to create an empty poker room for five straight days."

While the Venetian's poker room was far from empty Monday, Dalla said the overwhelming response from the poker community made the boycott a personal victory in his mind.

“Frankly, I don’t think there is a metric to measure how effective the boycott will be,” Dalla said. "This was about awareness, and to that end, we have been successful.”

Ron Reese, spokesman of Las Vegas Sands Corp., declined to comment.

Dalla called for the boycott after Adelson described online gaming as “a societal train wreck waiting to happen” and launched a website urging lawmakers to vote against online gaming, which he argued “is not a good bet for the future of America.”

Dalla and other local poker pros contend that Adelson’s aversion to Internet gambling is counterproductive to Las Vegas and damaging to the industry.

“Las Vegas has the opportunity to be the New York City of online gambling,” said Frank Kasella, a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner from Tennessee who now lives in Las Vegas. “The way that city is successful financially, Las Vegas can be successful with online gambling.”

But for that to happen, gaming industry giants have to stand together to keep the city ahead of the competition, Kasella said. Adelson’s refusal to cooperate shows a lot about his character, he added.

A handful of poker pros vowed never to play at the Venetian again.

Shaun Deeb, a New York player with two final table appearances under his belt, said it has been frustrating to hear such a powerful man slinging negative opinions.

Adelson is "really attacking our growth as an industry," Deeb said.

Still, other players have been reluctant to follow Dalla’s lead.

Linda Johnson, who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011, disapproves of the boycott.

“I can’t go along,” she wrote on Dalla's blog. “Moreover, I don’t want to see any of the employees hurt who work at the Venetian.”

Dalla contends the boycott doesn't threaten the local work force.

“Some people have questioned the impact of this boycott on working people,” Dalla said. “I want those people to consider the position Sheldon Adelson has taken. It could cost Nevada the thousands of jobs online gambling could create.”

Even with a boycott, Kasella doubts Adelson will change his tune.

But supporters will send their message nevertheless.

“We’re here," Kasella said. "We’re important. Help us make the business the best it can be for everybody.

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Station Casinos has released a mobile sports wagering app.

Fresh off a successful field trial, Sports Connection Mobile is now available on smartphones and tablets.

The app offers Boarding Pass rewards points for every dollar a gambler bets. The points can be used at all Station properties, including the Fiestas and Wildfire Gaming.

A player can link the free Sports Connection account to multiple wireless devices and cash out at several properties. In line with state law, Sports Connection users can access the app anywhere within the state of Nevada.

In order to enroll, all players must be 21 or older and first sign up in a Station Casinos sports book, or at the El Cortez with a valid identification and $50 deposit.

The minimum bet is $5, and accounts may be replenished with cash, credit or debit cards. Sports Connection Mobile allows players to bet parlays as well as straight bets, teasers, prop bets, round robins and in-game bets.

“After going through a comprehensive field trial through the Nevada Gaming Control Board, we are thrilled that we received final approval from gaming and excited to offer this convenient and safe sports betting app to all Nevada sports book players,” Art Manteris, vice president of sports book operations at Station Casinos, said in a statement.

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Station Casinos has bought and closed a pair of popular Southern Nevada bars to open new Wildfire Casinos.

The locals casino operator has shut down the Lift Bar, a popular joint at 3045 S. Valley View Blvd., and Doc Hollidays in Henderson’s Anthem neighborhood.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board recently approved both acquisitions, according to Station spokeswoman Lori Nelson.

Station will hold a grand opening ceremony Saturday at the former site of Doc Hollidays, 2551 Anthem Village Drive. Because the site is in a restricted gaming area, the new Wildfire Casino there will offer 15 slot machines, dining and a bar.

The 5,000-square-foot Lift Bar made its final last call Wednesday night. Station plans to open Wildfire later this month, offering 35 slot machines, dining and a bar. Station has four other Wildfire locations in the Las Vegas Valley.

The main difference between Wildfire Casinos and other Station properties, such as Palace Station or Texas Station, is size. The Wildfire Casinos have fewer slot machines and no table games, no hotels and more limited dining options.

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The M Resort has closed its poker room to make space for a new slot tournament area.

The resort previously held its slot tournaments in a conference-style ballroom, but players were unhappy with the lack of space, according to Rina Foster, an M Resort spokeswoman.

The players “demanded” the change, Foster said.

M Resort's monthly invitational tournaments average 800 guests between video poker and reel games, and the next slot tournament is scheduled for the end of August.

The new slots area will open next month, but it’s unclear what it will look like or how many slots the area will offer.

“We’re currently reconfiguring the room and don’t have an exact layout determined,” Foster said, “so I don’t yet know the number of slots we’ll have in there.”

While officials have no plans to reopen the poker room, the resort will continue to host poker tournaments and events in the future. The next poker tournament is the second-annual Hollywood Poker Open Championship, operated by Penn National Gaming and slated for June 2014.

The last Hollywood Poker open generated $1.4 million, attracting more than 600 players.

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Dotty’s wants to buy the Hacienda.

If state regulators approve the sale, the resort would be Dotty’s first full-scale casino.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity,” Dotty’s Owner Craig Estey said. “The Hacienda is a historical jewel that attracts travelers and locals alike.”

The Hacienda sits about three miles from the Hoover Dam, just outside Boulder City, where gambling is illegal. Built on the former site of the Gold Strike Casino, it features 19,000 square feet of gaming space, a William Hill sports book, retail shops and a movie theater.

Current owner the Lakeview Company announced the acquisition to employees last month. Dotty’s parent company, Nevada Restaurant Services, operates more than 80 stand-alone taverns throughout the state.

The property’s price tag has not been disclosed.

Estey plans to keep the hotel-casino open but renovate it and the surrounding grounds. New developments could include a gas station and convenience store.

“Although is a project that will take time, we have an extraordinary team at Dotty’s that is excited for the challenge,” Estey said.

Dotty’s will make employees reapply for their jobs. The company will begin accepting applications later this year “with the intention of providing continued employment to as many employees as possible,” Estey said.

Before the sale becomes final, Dotty’s needs approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Clark County Commission. That process could take until the end of the year.

Dotty’s has been embroiled in controversy since 2010, sparring both with competitors and the Nevada Resort Association over its gaming-heavy business model.

Critics point out that Dotty's depends more on gaming than snacks and beverages. They argue that since the company has only a restricted slot machine license, gaming revenue should be incidental and the bulk of the profits should be made through food and beverage sales.

The Nevada Gaming Commission in 2011 changed tavern regulations and demanded that Dotty’s and similar businesses have a full bar and kitchen open at least half time.

The company complained the changes could cost them $6 million because they'd have to remodel locations. Dotty’s tried to fight the changes in federal court but failed when a judge tossed the charges in 2012.

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