According to a tweet from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Monday evening, there will be no online poker hearing in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during the lame duck session. Sheldon Adelson’s internet gambling-killing Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) bill would have likely been the top subject of discussion. The PPA does warn its members and other concerned parties, though, to be on the lookout for other avenues for RAWA to slide through.
The Restoration of America’s Wire Act was introduced in March by Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R – Utah); the same bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senator Lindsey Graham (R – SC). The name of the bill refers to the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, which made sports betting over communications lines (originally referring to phone lines, but later expanded to internet) illegal. For years, though, particularly once online gambling became popular, the U.S. Department of Justice interpreted the Act as outlawing all online gambling. That didn’t always stop online poker rooms from operating in the U.S., but certainly caused legal problems and was a way supporters of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) could justify their bill. In December 2011, however, the DoJ clarified its stance on the Wire Act, saying that it only applied to sports betting, an interpretation that opened the doors for online gambling to be legalized in individual states.
Online poker opponents were infuriated by this, which has led to RAWA, a bill spearheaded by Las Vegas Sands CEO and online poker enemy Sheldon Adelson, which would force the interpretation of the Wire Act to revert to the old, incorrect one that banned all online gambling.
Normally, something like this that would not really be a major concern to many legislators would not be particularly scary, but because it is Sheldon Adelson pushing it, people are taking the threat seriously. He has contributed millions upon millions upon millions of dollars to Republican politicians and, as we know, politicians follow the money. On top of that, we are in a lame duck session right now, meaning the period of time between the recent mid-term elections and when the new legislators take office. Outgoing lawmakers often push legislation through as a final favor to supporters or fellow lawmakers, so it was thought that RAWA could get some play.
And on top of all that, the House Judiciary Committee is packed with anti-online poker Congressmen. The Chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R – Virg.) was one of the cronies behind the UIGEA. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R – Ala.) was one of the most outspoken Congressmen against poker for years and frequently spoke at Congressional hearings. Rep. Randy Forbes (R – Virg.), Rep. Steve King (R – Iowa), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R – S.C.), Rep. Lamar Smith (R – Tex.), Rep. Trent Franks (R – Ariz.), Rep. Jim Jordan (R – Ohio), Rep. George Holding (R – N.C.), and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D – Lou.) are all on the PPA’s list of Congressional “Jokers” – those lawmakers who have come out against poker in one way or another. And, of course, Rep. Chaffetz, is on the Committee. So the hearing would have been totally rigged against online poker.
The PPA warns, though, that although it looks like a hearing is off the table, it is still possible for RAWA to be attached to a larger piece of must-pass legislation, just like the UIGEA was eight years ago. The PPA does not think it is likely to happen during the lame duck session, but it is not an impossibility.
