US Politicians Take Aim At Sheldon Adelson's RAWA

Sheldon Adelson’s attempt to turn the clock back half a century and have the original interpretation of the Wire Act (1961) reinstated has run into significant difficulties recently, after a number of politicians grouped together to warn of the dangers of superseding state power to the federal authority. In addition, Ron Paul has also weighed in on the issue, with the two-time Republican presidential candidate taking a more personal swipe at Sheldon Adelson, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act’ (RAWA) main supporter.
Firstly, the coalition of lobbying groups includes a number of powerful conservative interest, such as the President of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist, Director of Government Relations Larry Hart, and Campaign for Liberty President John Tate, to name but a few. Addressing the RAWA’s attempt to ban all forms of online gambling, as opposed to just sports betting, the group recently sent a letter to the leaders of both Congressional parties, an excerpt of which states:
“Regardless of your personal opinions on gambling, we encourage you to preserve the authority of the states to prohibit or regulate gambling as the 10th Amendment directs.. These claims that the Wire Act provides federal authority to supersede state authority in intrastate gambling matters have been conclusively debunked in a recent paper from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas by Competitive Enterprise Institute Fellow, Michelle Minton.”
In a further sign of changing fortunes for Sheldon Adelson, influential libertarian politician Ron Paul has also called the Las Vegas Sands CEO out for using his “political influence to turn his online competitors into criminals.” Furthermore, Ron Paul has even taken time out to debunk claims the 81 year-old billionaire has made about online poker operators potentially aiding terrorists, by commenting:
“Some claim that legalizing online gambling will enrich criminals and even terrorists. But criminalizing online casinos will not eliminate the demand for online casinos. Instead, passage of this legislation will likely guarantee that the online gambling market is controlled by criminals. Thus, it is those who support outlawing online gambling who may be aiding criminals and terrorists.”
Fortunately, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) has now failed to secure enough support for consideration during this lame duck session, although it could find itself reintroduced on the agenda next year.