Former Sen. Jon Kyl, Known for Online Gambling Opposition, Dies at 84

_{The late Jon Kyl’s legacy was built around fighting the legalization of online gambling, including poker and sports betting. (Photo: Zuma Press / Alamy)} 

Jon Kyl, the reliably conservative Republican politician who served in both the House and Senate over a congressional career that spanned over 30 years, died at 84 in Phoenix on Wednesday, Sept. 16. His family announced his death Thursday, citing complications from dementia.

Kyl served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1995 until his retirement in 2013, and had previously represented Arizona’s 4th district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995. He later withdrew from public life in December 2025 after announcing his dementia diagnosis.

Kyl wasn’t a household name in American politics (he was often overshadowed by Republican Sen. John McCain in the public eye), but he was known as a highly effective and measured legislator who worked behind the scenes to advance conservative policies in Congress. He was so prominent in this role that Time included him on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.

Kyl Powered UIGEA Through Congress

Among the policy positions influenced by his deeply conservative beliefs was a strong opposition to online gambling, which often put him at odds with gamblers in the U.S.

Beginning in the 1990s, Kyl worked behind the scenes to criminalize online gambling. He worked to include provisions in the Crime Prevention Act of 1995 that would have made transmitting gambling information across state lines punishable by up to a year in prison, and tried multiple times to pass the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act between 1997 and 1999. The proposed update to the 1961 Wire Act passed the Senate in 1998 but didn’t advance in the House.

Failing to pass a complete ban on internet gaming, Kyl instead sought to work with other congressional leaders to attack the industry's financial underpinnings. That led to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), a gambling regulation surprised many when it passed late at night at the end of the 2006 congressional session. 

Initially, the Treasury Department delayed implementation of the new UIGEA regulations. But Kyl once again used his legislative muscle to pressure officials to begin enforcing the bill, including blocking nominations for open positions in the department until regulations were finalized.

The UIGEA would ultimately result in what is perhaps the most infamous day in American online poker history. On April 15, 2011 – known as “Black Friday” – the U.S. Department of Justice seized the domain names and effectively shut down PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker in the U.S.

While Kyl never became a fan of online gambling, he did come around to the idea of compromise legislation that would regulate the online poker industry late in his career. In 2012, he worked with Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) on a bill that would have federally regulated and taxed online poker while banning online casinos and online sports betting, though the legislation never gained much traction.

"The Operator" Shaped a Generation of GOP Legislation

While his role in the history of online poker marked Kyl’s most significant impact on the gaming industry, his influence spanned far beyond gambling.

Born on April 25, 1942, in Oakland, Nebraska, Kyl grew up in a rural farming district in Iowa that his own father represented in the U.S. House. He would go on to study at the University of Arizona and graduate with a degree in political science in 1964. The former senator also earned a law degree from the University of Arizona in 1966. 

After working at Phoenix law firm Jennings, Strouss & Salmon for two decades, Kyl would win his first House race in 1986. He rarely faced a serious challenge in any future races for the House or Senate. A 2006 Time profile called Kyl “The Operator,” owing to his ability to guide – or kill – legislation behind the scenes in the Republican Senate caucus. When he made his voice known more publicly, he was best known for working on issues such as immigration and arms control. He also focused on water rights, an issue of local importance in Arizona.

Kyl last worked as a Senator in August 2018, when the death of Sen. McCain required a short-term replacement. He left the role in early 2019.

Kyl married his wife, Caryll Collins, in 1964. He is survived by his wife, their children John and Kristine, and four grandchildren.

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