Online poker is slowly taking shape with Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware figuring out the ins and outs of offering such gaming in the US. The interstate gaming option between Delaware and Nevada should begin soon and other states are considering offering online poker and casino gaming as well. However, will all this be for naught this November? The Restoration of America’s Wire Act could be back on the table this November and would post a threat to the online poker market in the US.
Lindsey Graham, a Senator of South Carolina, and Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill titled Restoration of Americas Wire Act, a bill that was backed by Sheldon Adelson as well as the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling.
In March, the bill was read in each house of Congress before moving forward to the Committee on the Judiciary, according to PokerNewsReport. The bill would normally stay here until time runs out for it to be considered, though there may be a push to bring it back for a full vote during the “lame duck” session by the bill’s supporters.
The bill would restore the Wire Act, which prohibits every form of online gambling to take place in the US. If the bill is passed, casino games, poker and lotteries would not be allowed to take place over the Internet in the United States. There are exceptions to the bill which includes fantasy sports and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing events.
With the passage, Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey would have to stop offering online poker and/or online casino gaming. States considering the option would not be able to move forward with legislation. Only time will tell what will happen with this piece of legislation, but everyone in the online gambling industry as well as players hope to see the bill not move forward into legislation.
(Updated Oct 2 1745 ET to reflect that bill has not returned back to Congress, only that it may happen.)
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