RAWA Bill Discussed in the House of Representatives
March 2, 2015
The Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) is expected
to get a hearing in the United States House of Representatives in
early March. Sheldon Adelson has been throwing his money at this
bill in an attempt to outlaw all forms of online gambling in the
United States. Adelson tried to get the bill pushed through in 2014
but it didn’t receive a hearing.
Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz reintroduced the bill to the
House of Representatives earlier this year and it is expected that
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham will introduce the bill in
the Senate. Whether it will get to the point of a vote is still
in question. RAWA seems unlikely to pass even in the Republican
controlled House and Senate even if it does come up for a vote.
There are many lobbyists on both sides of the issue and even though
Adelson has more money than all of them, he has not been able to
push the bill through Congress.
Most people who follow the online gambling issue in Congress believe
that the hearing in the House for RAWA in March was set simply to
pacify Adelson who gives big money to the Republican Party. Getting
a bill introduced and actually passing it are two different things
and the chances of RAWA actually passing seem remote.
