The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday urging the United States Congress to toss out Sheldon Adelson’s H.R. 707, better known as the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA). RAWA would make all online gambling in the United States effectively illegal, scuttling Pennsylvania’s future internet gaming industry before it even starts.
The Pennsylvania bill, H.R. 140, was introduced in March by State Rep. John Payne, the House Gaming Oversight Committee chairman. He also introduced House Bill 649, which aims to legalize and regulating online gambling in the state. It was originally intended to just legalize online poker, but has since been amended to include online casino games, as well.
Though the House Resolution does include its share of legal speak, it really pulls no punches when criticizing RAWA:
WHEREAS, The Restoration of America’s Wire Act, introduced as H.R. 707 in the 114th Congress, would prohibit the transmission by wire communication of any bet or wager or of information assisting in the placement of any bet or wager, including Internet gaming; and
WHEREAS, A Federal prohibition against Internet gaming would directly and negatively impact Pennsylvania by foreclosing the future potential of Internet gaming to generate tax revenue, to create economic and employment opportunities, including high-tech software jobs, and to foster valuable business ventures for Pennsylvania casinos; and
WHEREAS, If enacted, H.R. 707 would prohibit the Commonwealth from authorizing and conducting Internet gaming and from capturing new tax revenue for Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, This prohibition would preclude the Commonwealth’s ability to create a legitimate online gaming industry within its borders, drive illegal operators out of business and protect consumers; and
WHEREAS, Passage of this measure as Federal law would be inimical to the interests of this Commonwealth, which has been at the forefront of a well-regulated casino gaming industry for nearly a decade and which recognizes the benefits of Internet gaming and its future potential; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of our nation’s history, state governments, not the Federal Government, have determined what forms of gambling should be legal or illegal within their borders and, if legal, how gambling should be regulated or controlled; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United States to defeat the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, introduced as H.R. 707 in the 114th Congress, which prohibits the transmission by wire communication of any bet or wager or of information assisting in the placement of any bet or wager, including Internet gaming; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania implore the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation to unequivocally oppose H.R. 707, which would unduly ban Internet gaming and violate the rights and protections guaranteed to the states under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
As expected, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) reacted quite favorably to the passage of the Resolution. PPA executive director John Pappas commented in a press release, “The passage of this resolution sends a strong and clear message to the U.S. Congress that Pennsylvania has the right to make their own legislative decisions about licensing and regulating online poker without the partisan influence of Washington politics. Sheldon Adelson’s anti-states’ rights bill would do nothing to protect Pennsylvanians online and in fact would do the opposite by forcing Internet poker players into a black market with none of the consumer safeguards that players deserve.”
A hearing will be held tomorrow to discuss Payne’s bill, one of three online poker bills that have recently been introduced in Pennsylvania.