New Anti Online Gambling Bill Introduced in the US
Published September 28, 2016 by Ivan P
New anti-online poker and gambling bill, named S.3376, has been presented to the Committee of Judiciary by Senator Tom Cotton.
The battle to legalize online poker and online gambling in general in the United States has been going on for years now. With only a few individual states regulating online gambling, a bill on the federal level still seems highly unlikely. The number one reason for this is a very strong lobby headed by the land-based casino magnat Sheldon Adelson who's been doing everything in his power to hinder the legislation.
The latest development on this front has seen Senator Tom Cotton introduce a new bill, known as the bill S.3376, containing the language very similar to the one found in the infamous RAWA (Restoration of America's Wire Act).
What is S.3376 All About?
Although the information about the new bill, which was filed with the Senate Committee of Judiciary, is scarce at the moment, the Congressional website sums it up as a bill aimed to ensure the integrity of laws designed to prevent the use of financial instruments to fund and operate online casinos.
The notion is quite similar to that of RAWA, which is hardly surprising given the fact Cotton is one of co-sponsors of that bill as well. While RAWA didn't get very far with the legislators, this latest attempt clearly demonstrates the determination to push for a federal ban on online gambling.
Why RAWA?
Many people do not quite understand what the Restoration of America's Wire Act is all about. Simply put, the proponents of the bill are pushing for the stipulations from the old America's Wire Act to be expanded from encompassing just betting on sports events to all types of bets and wagers made using electronic means.
That way, RAWA would effectively make online casinos, even those established on the state levels, illegal, and would strike a severe blow to the online gaming industry in the States. Although there aren't that much information about S.3376 at the moment, it seems rather obvious that it is just another attempt at expanding Wire Act provisions.
