The proposed launch of the District of Columbia’s intrastate online poker operation may be delayed or even discontinued after three city council members called for a re-examination of the plan.
A story in the Washington Post by journalist Jeffrey Anderson reveals that the three D. C. city council members – Ward 2 Democrat Jack Evans, Ward 4 Democrat Muriel Bowser and Ward 6 Democrat Tommy Wells – are calling into question the legality of the passage of the legislation that would make the District of Columbia the first location in the United States with a legalizes online poker operation. The legislation, which was proposed by At Large member Michael Brown, was passed through late in 2010 without any public discussion; in fact, the legislation was tacked on to a supplementary spending bill that was passed by the City Council.
Councilwoman Bowser, in particular, has questioned the way that the online poker legislation made its way through the City Council. Anderson quotes Bowser as stating regarding the poker legislation, “It was not responsible to pass it in a supplemental budget bill without public conversation. It definitely was a sleight of hand.”
There are other questions surrounding the D. C. online poker legislation and the lottery commission, which would administrate online poker, that the three council members would like examined. The Washington Times reported on Tuesday that Inspector General Charles Willoughby failed to act on a request from two former Cabinet officials to investigate irregularities in the underlying lottery contract and the oversight activities of Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi. Those two former officials, Chief Procurement Officer David Gragan and Attorney General Peter Nickles, raised concerns about contract approvals and vetting procedures in July 2010 that awarded a 51% stake in the lottery to a Washington businessman who did not go through the proper bidding process.
Councilman Evans, for his part, sees problems with the way that the IG handled the situation. “If the inspector general didn’t do his job, then it’s a problem,” Evans is quoted by the Post. He has also stated that he will be calling for a hearing this month regarding the online poker question. Councilman Wells has gone a step further, proposing legislation that will overturn the online poker bill that was passed. Although he says he has no stance on the question, the Post quotes Wells as saying, “for something like gambling, we really must have a public vetting process.”
The outrage expressed by the council members is calling into question the support that such an operation would have. Councilman Brown, who refused to comment to the Post regarding the recent discussion, would have to sway at least seven members of the Council after public discussion regarding the intrastate online poker bill. That support, after the issues with the Lottery Commission and the method in which the original online poker bill was pushed through, could prove difficult for Brown to convince his fellow council members. The Post attempted to ascertain the position of several Council members, receiving either a “no comment” or that the representative was previously against the measure and would continue with that stance.
If allowed to begin, Councilman Brown said that online poker would be able to draw in as much as $14 million over the next three years. Players would be strictly limited to citizens of the District of Columbia, would have to be at least nineteen years of age, would have weekly limits on deposits and would not feature high stakes action. Councilman Brown stated regarding the potential new revenue stream back in April, “Anytime you’re cutting budgets, you want to save some programs,” the Associated Press quotes Brown as saying. “You’re looking for different pieces from different pots and you hope that you get to the number that restores those budget shortfalls and that’s what we’re trying to do with this.”
The discussion is just beginning to ratchet up, it seems. Along with Councilman Evans and Wells’ plans to bring the online poker question up this month, there will be a chance for public comment on whether the community would approve of such a measure. If the discussion continues down its current difficult road, the first legal online poker operation in the United States may be over before it even starts.
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