McCain Open to Online Gambling Regulation

Arizona senator and previous presidential candidate John McCain has called for a debate in Congress regarding one of the most burning issues in America, both at a state and federal level. That issue, of course, is online gambling.

McCain appeared on ESPN, saying, ““We need to have a talk with the American people, and we need to probably have hearings in Congress on the whole issue so we can build consensus.”

McCain’s willingness to bring the issue to the forefront follows a vocal call by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to sanction state betting and regulate online gambling at a federal level. McCain’s comments were also made right before Super Bowl XLIX. “We obviously know that there are huge amounts gambled on sporting events, particularly football,” he said.

A Republican Who Gambles

While it might seem odd that a Republican politician is so open to the idea of legalized online sports betting, McCain seems to have a grasp on the bigger issue at hand: money. It is difficult to dispute the reported $120 million that was bet in Nevada ALONE, just on Super Bowl XLIX.

Moreover, an NBA team source was quoted in Breitbart Sports this January saying that legalizing online gambling in the United States would create a “trillion dollar industry,” an amount that is virtually incomprehensible.

But McCain wants to comprehend it. If he sees the trend of the future, that more and more people will be using their smartphones to not only bet on sports games, but to watch them, he knows that it is more important than ever to have a union of online gambling platforms and uniform regulations. Moreover, he knows that if no such legislation is passed, the American people will simply do their online gambling elsewhere, and all of the potential income will go to outside sources, even competitors.

On a personal level, another reason behind McCain’s openness to online gambling: he has more-than-once declared himself a craps enthusiast.