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A letter written by the leadership of the Democratic Governors Association urged House and Senate leadership to oppose legislation pushed by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson that would effectively ban online gambling throughout the U.S.
Restoration of America’s Wire Act or RAWA for short was reintroduced by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham last month. It is co-authored by Utah Republican Representative Jason Chavitz. Adelson himself is among the GOP’s biggest donors.
Ahead of a hearing in the House of Representatives next week to discuss the legislation, DGA Chair Governor Steve Bullock (MT) and Vice Chair Governor Maggie Wood Hassan (NH) stated, “We believe strongly that the issue of Internet gaming, as has historically been the case with other forms of gaming, is best left to the states to decide and regulate. This approach is consistent with the congressional intent related to online gaming as stated in the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006,” decades after the Wire Act was enacted.
“Next week the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary will be debating Sheldon Adelson’s bill, an ill-advised piece of legislation that would implement a sweeping nationwide ban on online gaming that would trump individual states’ ability to implement a well-regulated state based system.
This legislation would not only trample on states who currently have safe and regulated online gaming programs and lotteries in place, but also make for an unsafe, unregulated online environment and push players to dangerous black-market sites.
“As you consider the issue of Internet gaming, we hope you give strong consideration to the importance of preserving these state rights and the opportunity that embracing a state-by-state regulatory approach could provide.”
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
