Attorneys General for 10 states—including Nevada—sent a letter last month addressed to Vice President-Elect Mike Pence and the entire Donald Trump Transition team in support of the restore America’s Wire Act bill, which would make online gambling illegal in the U.S.
RAWA seeks to nullify a 2011 Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion that ruled that the Wire Act of 1961—which banned sports betting over phone lines—applied only to sports betting. The ruling allowed states to implement online gambling within their own borders. Three states—Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware—have since approved online betting.
The advocacy group Poker Players Alliance disclosed the letter earlier this month. While Trump is a former casino owner, Pence has supported RAWA in the past and supported to Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2016.
“The Obama Administration overruled 50 years of practice and precedent when a Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion claimed the Wire Act only applied to sports betting and not to other types of online gambling,” the letter reads. “Dismantling the Wire Act undermined state online gambling prohibitions. Without a federal prohibition, (DOJ) opened the door to expansive internet gambling and exposed states to the significant negative impacts that often accompany online gambling.”
The letter points to “risks” associated with online gambling such as underage gambling, fraud, identity theft and money laundering.
“The 2011 DOJ opinion ignored the rule of law, reversed the DOJ’s previous longstanding interpretations and allowed arbitrary decision of individual government officials to create law,” the letter states. “Instead, any changes to the Wire Act and its provisions should have been given fair and full debate before the Congress, with whom the American people have vested the power to create the laws of the land.”
According to various reports, the letter was signed by:
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes
The most surprising name on the list may be Laxalt of Nevada, which has approved online poker play. According to ralstonreports.com, both Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett said they did not support Laxalt’s opinion.
“Internet gaming in Nevada has been a complete regulatory success,” Burnett told the website. “We’ve had no issues with patron protection or ensuring it is done to the letter of the law. I’m disappointed Mr. Laxalt didn’t consult with his clients on this.”
In a related story, the Washington D.C. based think tank R Street Institute delivered an opinion that a Trump Administration would be favorable to online gambling, according to a report at casino.org.
“While not as successful as international casino magnates Steve Wynn or Sheldon Adelson, Trump has no record of moral opposition to gambling as business,” R Street author Steve Titch wrote. “There’s no reason to believe that expanding prohibition is on his agenda, or that he would be opposed to greater liberalization, especially if it can create or increase revenue streams for his economic agenda.”
The American Gaming Association has also expressed optimism that a Trump Administration would support legalizing sports betting.
At the same time however, many columnists and analysts have noted Pence’s past opposition to online betting. RAWA is also the brainchild of Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson, a major Republican donor.
