With the dice already loaded against her, Prime Minister Julia Gillard now faces a political deck stacked by the nation's biggest football codes.
NRL and AFL bosses have banded together to fight plans to set limits on poker machines to cut problem gambling that is estimated to cost Australia at least A$4.7 billion ($5.6 billion) a year and affect the lives of five million people.
With grand final week raising passions, code chiefs are calling the proposal to pre-programme cash limits on club pokies a "footy tax" and are preparing to unleash a media blitz against it.
Gillard has no option but to face them down.
She agreed to push the limits into law as part of the deal to win her minority Government the support of Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie, a committed anti-pokie campaigner.
Under the deal Gillard must have legislation in place by next May's budget, and a timetable for the law's introduction by 2014.
If she fails, Wilkie will withdraw his support for Labor and possibly precipitate the Government's final death spiral.
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