National Governors Association Says States can Regulate Online Gaming

The National Governors Association Economic Development & Commerce Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week explaining that the group is “concerned with legislative or administrative actions that would ban online Internet gaming and Internet lottery sales.”

Based on the wording, the impetus for the letter appears to be Sessions’ comments during his confirmation hearing:

“I did oppose [the 2011 DOJ opinion] when it happened, and it seemed to me to be unusual,” Sessions said during the hearing. “I would revisit it or make a decision about it based on careful study.”

While troubling, Sessions’ remarks aren’t a death knell for online gaming in the US, and they’ve been somewhat overblown.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (a Democrat and the chair of the NGA) and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (a Republican and the vice-chair of the NGA) signed the letter.

The letter makes the case that the decision to legalize or prohibit internet gambling and internet lottery should be left up to the state, as it historically has been.

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