RAWA Finally Looks To Be On Its Last Legs

The Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) is considered a controversial piece of legislation, not least because of the hypocritical stance of one of its chief backers, Sheldon Adelson. After all, with legalized online gambling running smoothly on a state level for more than two years, one has to question the validity of an 82 year-old billionaire casino mogul continuing to lecture Americans as to the dangers of gambling online, whilst seeking to pull the plug on the whole industry.
Nevertheless, this has not prevented the Adelson funded Coalition to Stop Internet Gaming (CSIG), as well as a number of politicians that have rallied to his cause, from doing their utmost to see a complete federal internet gambling ban imposed on the country’s 319 million residents. While enjoying a measure of success in the past, however, all indications now suggest that the anti-iGambling movement is beginning to wane in influence, and with any luck its proposed RAWA bill may soon end up on the scrap heap.
Last month, for instance, a letter was sent to Attorney General all across the country encouraging them to sign off their support for RAWA. After an initial positive response, including Nevada AG Adam Laxalt adding his signature to the circular, in the end just eight Attorneys Generals signed the letter.
Meanwhile, RAWA is currently being discussed in a Congressional hearing under the title “A casino in every smartphone — law enforcement implications”, having been introduced by Jason Chaffetz (photo), Chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee . However, initial reports from the hearing suggest that RAWA has received little support outside of RAWA co-sponsor Rep. Glenn Grothman (D-Wisconsin), and Rep. Gary Palmer. On the other side of the discussion, politicians are speaking out against the proposed online gambling ban, with New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman making the important point that:
“The evidence clearly demonstrates that with proper regulation, in-state online gambling poses no more challenges to law enforcement or risk to consumers than brick and mortar casinos.”
With little appetite currently on display during the RAWA hearing, it is beginning to look like the chance of the bill passing through the OGR committee is slim at best, perhaps finally signalling the death knell for this unpopular piece of legislation.