Adelson’s anti-online gambling bill gets House Committee hearing

The meeting will take place on December 9th and it will also discuss the Restore America’s Wire Act

United States.- The House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform confirmed the scheduling of a hearing for December 9th at 1pm ET to discuss Restore America’s Wire Act and the anti-online gambling legislation, that last one under the title “A Casino in Every Smartphone – Law Enforcement Implications.”

The Committee is chaired by Jason Chaffets, and this hearing could be a sign that the Republican majority under new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is likely to be friendlier to anti-online gambling legislation than previous speaker John Boehner.

Last February, Chaffetz introduced the House version of the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA). The Adelson-backed RAWA aims to ban most forms of online gambling in the United States, by undoing the 2011 Department of Justice opinion on the scope of the 1961 Wire Act.

The Restoration of America’s Wire Act passage could put an end on the three states that have already commenced intrastate play, -Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey – and furthermore, it may prevent other states in doing so.

There is still no information regarding the list of witnesses who will offer testimony at the December 9th hearing. The hearing held on March regarding the same subject by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, featured a group of witnesses associated with the Adelson-funded Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CSIG), the advocacy group which lobbies for a 50-state ban on online gambling.