DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION OPPOSES R.A.W.A.

Thursday March 19, 2015 : DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION OPPOSES R.A.W.A.
 
Good timing for the March 26 Congressional committee hearing.
 
With the March 26 House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations  hearing on online gambling on the horizon, a letter this week from the Democratic Governors Association, opposing the Restoration of the American Wire Act proposal is particularly well-timed.
 
Signed by DGA chair Governor Steve Bullock (Minnesota) and vice chair Governor Maggie Wood Hassan (New Hampshire) the letter addressed to top Congressional representatives advises:
 
“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.
 
“Next week the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary will be debating Sheldon Adelson’s bill, an ill-advised piece of legalization that would implement a sweeping nationwide ban on online gaming that would trump individual states’ ability to implement a well-regulated state based system.
 
"This legalization would not only trample on states who currently have safe and regulated online gaming programs and lotteries in place, but also make for an unsafe, unregulated online environment and push players to dangerous black-market sites.
 
“As you consider the issue of Internet gaming, we hope you give strong consideration to the importance of preserving these state rights and the opportunity that embracing a state-by-state regulatory approach could provide.”