Online gambling supporters are speaking out against RAWA, a bill that would ban online gambling at both state and federal levels.
It has been a tough week for RAWA, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, and a good week for online gambling proponents. RAWA, the anti-online gambling bill, has been strongly pushed forward by Sheldon Adelson and would make online gambling illegal at both federal and state levels.
Last week, the Democratic Governors Association wrote a letter against RAWA, saying that the bill is unconstitutional, as it would take away the rights of individual states. As it stands in America now, states have the power to legalize or ban online gambling; three states have chosen to legalize it: New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. Other states, including California and Pennsylvania, are currently seeking to legalize it. RAWA would override any online gambling regulations passed by these states, which is completely unconstitutional, the DGA writes:
"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."
RAWA Hearing Postponed
A hearing for RAWA was supposed to have taken place on March 5, but last week it was postponed until March 25. The hearing will be held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, and is believed to have been strongly pushed for by Sheldon Adelson. While the delay itself does not actually mean anything, it is still another setback for the RAWA camp.
Bad Press
On March 18, Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas published an op-ed in the influential newspaper Roll Call, entitled “The Wire Act — Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken.” In his article he argues that that RAWA is, in fact, doing the very opposite of what the original Wire Act intended.
While RAWA may have taken some hits last week, there are still plenty in the anti-online gaming camp who will continue to push for its approval.
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