Federal Online Gaming Study Rumored

Several reports have surfaced that House Republicans are considering asking for a federal study on online gambling to delay voting on an online gambling ban until after the 2016 presidential election. However, the study could also keep new states from starting online gambling in the meantime.

House Republicans are considering delaying a vote on the Restoration of America’s Wire Act—which would ban online gambling—until after the 2016 presidential election.

And what better way to delay a vote than conduct a federal study of the impact of online gambling? The catch is that no new states could approve online gambling while the study is underway.

The Restoration of America’s Wire Act bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate. The bills are seen as coming from Sheldon Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Internet gambling and have been backed by presidential candidates Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio.

The bills have drawn opposition and have not been moving quickly through the legislature. Now proponents of online gambling say backers of the bill may try to delay the vote by seeking a congressional study on online gambling which would also block any new state from approving online gambling while the study is underway.

The website Gambling Compliance has reported on the rumors of a study.

According to the report, it is unclear as to how seriously legislators are taking the proposal. The idea, however, is being pitched due to a lack of consensus on the bills among Republicans.