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Throughout the years, the state lotteries have proven to be a force when it comes to potential gambling legislation. Such was the case in 2006, when state lotteries were able to detach themselves from what would ultimately become the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act or UIGEA. Bottom line: Don’t mess with the state lotteries.
Utah Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz appears not to have gotten that memo.
His state is one of only two that does not have a lottery (the other being Hawaii).
GamblingCompliance.com on Wednesday reported that Chaffetz clashed with state lottery officials over his newly introduced bill to enforce a decades old Wire Act.
From US Poker:
According to gambling attorney Mark Hichar, who participated in the call, Chaffetz ended by saying if they didn’t like his bill (Chaffetz reintroduced the Restoration of America’s Wire Act bill earlier this year), they should introduce their own.
“It seemed very odd that you would expect a state to file federal legislation to enable it to be able to conduct gaming in its borders,” Hichar told GamblingCompliance. “I found that statement to be surprisingly aggressive.”
Chaffetz’ legislation is being pushed by gambling billionaire and GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson. His chief lobbyist Andy Abboud went on record as saying that recently told Adelson would be “unlikely to accept exemptions for state lotteries and tribes in a bill to prohibit Internet gambling,”
Chaffetz’ blunder comes only days after the co-author of the online gambling prohibition, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, shocked almost everyone after confessing he had never sent out an email, and those in the Web gambling sector questioning how this could be someone placed in charge of preaching the virtues of the Internet.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
