State efforts to legalize online gambling in California, Iowa, Florida and New Jersey have morphed into a form of legislative trench warfare, where bills are massaged behind the scenes, lawmakers are pigeon-holed by lobbyists on both sides, and progress is measured in inches.

But the sexiest battle lines have been drawn in Carson City, Nevada, where the heaviest hitters in the industry are butting heads like Matterhorn rams over Bill AB258. And the pursuit of the almighty dollar (billions of dollars, actually), has made for strange bedfellows.

Lining up in favor of Nevada legislation is PokerStars.com, which