Unless you have been living under a rock, you should know at least a little about Sheldon Adelson and his efforts to push a federal online gambling ban, effectively removing all methods of gambling from the internet in the United States. Adelson is the driving force behind the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, which seems to have stalled.
There are now reports that Adelson has a new plan, to create a lighter version of RAWA, called RAWA Lite. The new legislation would build a firewall against any states who try to pass online gambling legislation. According to John Lathram at USAFriendlyPokerSites.com, it would also spell trouble for any additional US poker sites to come into the market on an individual state level beyond Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware.
The lighter version of RAWA would be more defensive then the first version, as it would control the spread of online gambling in the US, instead of trying to eliminate the activity. The legalization process of iGaming would be shut down for an undetermined amount of time as the debate continues on a federal level.
Going back to 2014, Adelson and his allies tried to pass the RAWA legislation, with Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Jason Chaffetz making the push for the measure. The bill did not reach the House of Representatives as the chairman, Republican Jim Sessions, was not in support.
Not all Republicans are in favor of the RAWA legislation and many have push back in opposition of the measure. Those who are not in agreement believe that the power does not belong in the federal government’s hands, rather than the individual states. If passed, RAWA would render the legalization process of the states that already offer online gambling inert.
It was as early as July of this year that the cronies of Adelson began to push RAWA Lite, but details are just now emerging as to what the Lite version actually means. Instead of banning online gambling, the new bill would place a moratorium on the expansion of the activity in the United States. In short, it means no state would be allowed to pass online gambling legislation until studies can be performed to determine the impact of the activity on residents of the United States.
The studies would be controlled by individuals who side with Adelson, lending the research to be more in the favor of the RAWA Lite legislation. The measure would also freeze any legislation this year as well as 2016, reportedly to try and see Congress move in the position of an anti-online gambling bill after the 2016 presidential election.
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