A new bill, S3376, was quietly introduced to the Senate by Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark last week, putting the issue of a federal online gambling ban back on the agenda. The bill was added to the Senate agenda on September 21st before making its way to the Committee on the Judiciary. This act in itself makes S3376 eligible for debate and a Senate vote.
The bill is largely similar to the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), funded by virulent anti-online gambling casino tycoon, Sheldon Adelson. It should be noted that Senator Cotton is a close friend of Adelson.
The Congressional website lists a summary of S3376, stating that it is “a bill to ensure the integrity of laws enacted to prevent the use of financial instruments for funding or operating online casinos are not undermined by legal opinions not carrying the force of law issued by Federal Government lawyers.”
While Cotton was hoping to sneak S3376 into the Senate as all eyes are currently on the final leg of the run for Presidency in November this year, the eagle eyes of the Poker Players Alliance pro-poker group picked up his move and before long, the bill was brought to the attention of the PPA’s over million members. The PPA soon brought more information about S3376, including the fact that it sought to nullify the Memorandum Opinion for the Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice from 2011, which re-interpreted the Wire Act and opened the doors for legal online gambling in the US.
Rich Muny, speaking for the Poker Players Alliance said about Cotton’s attempts: “Cotton is a strident online poker opponent. He cosponsors RAWA and is now taking a shot at the DoJ interpretation of the Wire Act. Adelson is still spending a lot on lobbying for an online poker ban. And with Sen. Reid retiring, it seems like this year’s lame duck session will see a big push from Adelson for a ban.”
In 2015, backed by Adelson, Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham filed the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, and in May of the following year, Graham tried unsuccessfully to push through the same measure.
To date, Senator Cotton has only filed a title and a place on the Committee on the Judiciary for his bill. We will be keeping a close eye on the progress of S3376 and reporting on any new developments.
