If you’ve been living under a rock as of late, the U. S. House of Representatives – one-half of the legislative branch of United States government – has been in a state of disarray (and that may be an understatement). Speaker of the House John Boehner, perhaps finally disgusted with the backstabbing from inside his own party, resigned his position as Ohio representative and Speaker earlier this month. The resulting maneuvering for the next Speaker has been interesting (some would say hilarious), but the man that the GOP seems to have settled on will bring a threat to online poker and gaming legislation – or its potential banning.
After flirting with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy – who committed the faux pas of admitting that certain committees are held for political purposes and not legislative reasons, a comment that led him to withdraw his name from the nomination process – the GOP reached out to 2012 Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan to save the party from itself. By the end of this week when Boehner’s resignation takes effect, it is expected that Ryan will accept the Speakership and become the third man in line for the Presidency. At the same time, another gentleman will have the ear of Ryan as his Chief of Staff who has a jaded history.
According to reports from many outlets, Ryan has tapped David Hoppe as his choice for Chief of Staff, a position that would allow Hoppe to have close access to Ryan and his choices for legislative activities. The problem with this selection is that Hoppe has made a career out of being a lobbyist for several groups. According to the Washington Post, Hoppe is currently a “senior policy adviser” with Squire Patton Boggs and a “senior adviser” to the Bipartisan Policy Center. The Post also writes, “(Hoppe) is a K Street veteran (the street notorious for its location for lobbyists), previously working at Quinn, Gillespie & Associates and at Hoppe Strategies, his own firm.”
Of particular interest to those that are involved in the current fight in Washington, D. C. regarding online poker and gaming would be Hoppe’s activities as a lobbyist. With such notable organizations as the National Association of Broadcasters, Ford Motor Company and Delta Air Lines on his roster of lobbying activities, Hoppe also has the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling on his roster from his work with Squire Patton Boggs. Two different $180,000 lobbying bills have been paid by the CSIG to Squire Patton Boggs as a result of Hoppe’s work on Capitol Hill for the group.
Naturally the choice of a person who has been the spear tip of billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson’s push to have online gaming and poker banned on a federal level hasn’t excited those who have been battling Adelson. Through the CSIG, Adelson has sent his minions across the United States, testifying (with sometimes comedic outcomes) that online gaming and poker are a scourge that has to be stopped. With his federal movements, Adelson’s actions have been to individually choose members of the Republican Party to push for his federal ban regarding online gaming and poker.
Through Congressman Jason Chaffetz – who also dabbled with running for Speaker of the House – and Senator Lindsey Graham – currently a longshot to win the nomination as the GOP’s choice for the 2016 Presidential race – Adelson’s lobbyists penned the “Restoration of America’s Wire Act” or RAWA, and submitted it to Chaffetz and Graham. Both men introduced the legislation in their respective bodies of Congress, but were met with a strong push from not only the Poker Players Alliance and its membership but from other groups as diverse as Campaign for Liberty and the Fraternal Order of Police. As a result of these efforts, Adelson’s troops have pushed for a moratorium regarding the opening of new online gaming and poker outlets – even those by the individual states, who traditionally have decided their own rules regarding gambling – until a federal study can be completed (what is being called “RAWA light”). (Efforts to get comments from the PPA and others fighting Adelson’s actions were unanswered as of press time.)
Whether Hoppe will continue to act on behalf of those who previously paid him to lobby for them remains to be seen. But the simple act of someone who was so closely involved in the fight over online gaming and poker reaching such a level of power has to make many nervous.