Article Excerpt 
 
 As Congress debates the federal budget, a Democratic senator strongly backed by Nevada casino interests and a Republican senator staunchly opposed to betting are working together to push an online-gambling bill into the mix. 
 
 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl are seeking language in a legislative package during the lame-duck session that could expand some forms of online wagering and would limit others. Among other things, the bill would create an Office of Online Poker Oversight under the Department of Commerce. 
 
 The initiative has long been discussed behind closed doors but never publicly introduced. It ... ||||| UK-based online gambling holding Gamesys has launched a new Facebook app called ‘Bingo Friendzy’, the first to hit the social network’s App Center that lets UK users aged 18 and over to play an online game for real cash prizes. 
 
 We knew this was coming, but now the wait is over. 
 
 Gamesys, which operates the UK’s leading Bingo and Slots website Jackpotjoy.com, says the new Friendzy App comes with a series of 90 Ball Bingo and Slots games that enable adult Facebook users in the UK to play for real cash. 
 
 Comments Julien Codorniou, Facebook’s Head of EMEA Gaming Partnerships: 
 
 “People love playing new types of games with their friends on Facebook and real money gaming is a popular leisure activity in the UK. We’re delighted to be working with Gamesys to enable them to offer their games on Facebook so that people can enjoy playing more games with their friends.” 
 
 Facebook has effectively partnered with Gamesys to fuel the distribution of the new game on the social networking service, and plans to team up with more gambling companies in the future. 
 
 Gamesys says a series of controls should protect users under 18 years of age, as well as “vulnerable people”. Also, in line with gambling legislation, all users will have access to a number of self-help tools to limit their spending and exclude themselves from playing at anytime. 
 
 Zynga, Facebook’s largest gaming partner by a margin, is also planning to venture into the real-money online gambling space in the near future. 
 
 And who knows, maybe some day this will become legal in the US (it will, eventually). 
 
 Also read: 
 
 What happens when professional gambling meets social gaming 
 
 Zynga is “all in” to acquire Bwin.party-owned poker business Ongame: Report 
 
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– Papa needs a new pair of … cows? Zynga yesterday filed the first salvo of paperwork necessary to obtain an online gambling license in Nevada, the Wall Street Journal reports. But don't expect to be betting on Farmville (or more likely titles like Zynga Poker) anytime soon. The document filed yesterday was a request for the state to decide if Zynga is even potentially suitable for a license, and that decision alone is expected to take 12 to 18 months. It's unclear how long after that final approval would come. The move comes amidst a rapidly changing legal landscape around online gambling. Nevada became the first state to legalize online poker earlier this year. Though it has handed out a few licenses already, none of the companies' online poker games is up and running yet. And when they are, they'll be limited to state residents. But that could soon change: Harry Reid and Jon Kyl are working on a bill that would legalize online poker nationwide and even create an Office of Online Poker Oversight, the Journal reported yesterday. However, the bill would simultaneously ban most other forms of online gambling.