Senator Joe Barton’s online poker bill has added another five sponsors to its cause. Congressmen Jim Gerlach (Pennsylvania), Howard Berman (California), Peter Welch (Vermont), and Connecticut’s John Larson and Jim Himes have all voiced their support in the fight for legal online poker in the US. Of these five, all but Gerlach are from the Democratic party.

With these latest additions, the bill (known as HR2366) now has 25 sponsors to its credit. There has been considerable buzz around the future of online gaming in recent months, with a great deal of movement in the positive direction. With the nation facing more potential financial problems, the government is looking toward any and all potential new streams of revenue. Because of this, online poker is getting another long look from the men and women in power.

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tells R-J staff Internet poker legislation ‘will get done’,” read a tweet from Howard Stutz, a reporter from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Reid: ‘I-poker will be good for Nevada.'”

While the above statement is not directly related to the new sponsors of HR2366, it does add to the optimism surrounding the current round of online poker talks. So long as the government maintains a positive posture, it’s only a matter of time until American players can return to the digital felt.