The past week in the U.S. online gambling industry has seen no shortage of news. It’s been exciting to see more states such as New York, California, and Pennsylvania inching closer by the day to regulating online gambling within their borders.

Unfortunately, amongst all the excitement there is still the industry Grinch, better known as Sheldon Adelson, who continues to be a thorn in the side of the U.S. regulated online gambling markets.

Restoration of America’s Wire Act – What Is It?

Last Wednesday, two new bills were introduced in the congress and senate that would effectively ban online gambling once again in all 50 states in the U.S. This would also include states such as New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada where online gambling is currently legal and regulated.

Coined as the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (H.R. 4301), this bill aims to change the language in the existing Wire Act to include “any bet or wager” placed over a wire (telephone, internet, etc.), with the exception of fantasy sports and horse racing.

Let us keep in mind how senseless this is, however, since the original wire act was signed into law over 50 years ago to prevent organized crime and the mafia from running sports betting operations across state lines.

Further to this, in September 2011, the United States Department of Justice publicly released a formal legal opinion on the scope of the Act that concluded,

“Interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a ‘sporting event or contest’ fall outside the reach of the Wire Act.”

Why Is H.R. 4301 Being Introduced Then?

I could write this entire section in three words, “Follow The Money.” Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) however introduced H.R. 4301 in a “bi-partisan” fashion.

Graham was recently quoted saying

“This is yet another example of the Holder Justice Department and Obama Administration ignoring the law.”

With all due respect Senator, last I checked, in 2011 the DOJ released a very accurate interpretation of the law as noted above.

Question: So, with all the acceptance and regulation of online gambling emerging across the U.S., why is this bill being introduced all of sudden?

Answer: Sheldon Adelson

Billionaire, hypocrite, and opponent of online gambling, Sheldon Adelson has decided to make it his life’s mission to make online gambling illegal. And while on this mission, he has pledged to spend whatever amount of money it takes.

With election season coming up, and campaigns in need of cash infusions, you can bet that supporters of this bill such as Graham and Chaffetz who are certainly not shoe-ins to win their elections are going to be seeing nice “campaign contributions” coming into their coffers soon.

Then you have the likes of Texas Governor Rick Perry sending a letter to congress affirming his support for the bill. Of course he will be running for President again, and would love nothing more than to be able to dip into Sheldon Adelson’s piggy bank for his presidential run.

Other sellout politicians in the senate who cosponsored this bill are Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).

The legislation is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D – HI), Jim Matheson (D – UT), Lamar Smith (R – TX), Jim Jordan (R – OH), Trent Franks (R – AZ), George Holding (R – NC), Frank Wolf (R – VA), James Lankford (R – OK), and Emanuel Cleaver (D – MO).

So I Ask You, Who Are The Real Bad Actors?

Since the term “bad actors” has been thrown around so loosely in our industry as of lately, I’d like to ask, who are the real bad actors?

It’s the U.S. politicians that are paid $170k a year by We The People whom do nothing more than accept bribes and let big business make their decisions for them.

With the recent statements and push by Sheldon Abelson’s Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CSIG), this bill makes it blatantly obvious that these politicians are simply gold diggers looking for access to the old man’s money to win their next election.

I mean come on, why would Texas governor Rick Perry go out of his way to send a letter like this otherwise?

Thank-you corrupt politicians for turning the U.S. government into a true corporatocracy. It’s actually quite embarrassing.

Can The Restoration of America’s Wire Act H.R. 4301 Pass?

With enough money, anything is possible. But John Mehaffey said it best:

“When it comes down to it, states’ rights and the Tenth Amendment will cause many that are not interested at all in gambling to oppose prohibition or regulation of online gaming at a federal level.”

As you can read in John’s column, and others across the Internet, the odds of this bill gaining enough support to actually pass is slim. Likewise, can you imagine all the individuals working in the online gambling industry in the regulated states suddenly being unemployed courtesy of Uncle Sam?

Bottom line, it’s a ridiculous bill, and one that is all about collecting campaign contributions versus serving constituents.

And if you’re wondering just how ridiculous Sheldon Adelson’s CSIG really is, check out this video featured in JohnnyG’s latest smackdown with all of its fear mongering and propaganda. And if you want a really good laugh, go to YouTube or reddit and read the comments.