New Year, New Online Gambling Ban

We return for 2019 with a new look, a new studio, new music and a new try at an online gambling ban! Our old buddy Sheldon Adelson wants politicians (namely, Lindsey Graham) to use the Federal Wire Act for yet another pathetic attempt at an online gambling ban… just like last year.

Other gambling news comes from Michigan, New York and Missouri.

Here we go again! According to reporting from Gambling Compliance (paywall), the 2011 Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion that opened the door for states to legalize online gambling — casino games, online poker and the lottery — will be one of the first things the senator asks nominee Bill Barr to address.

Graham indicated that he would seek an updated written or verbal stance from Barr on the 1961 Wire Act. Using the bulk of his time to question an AG nominee about an issue that’s only on the radar of one person (Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson) is a Graham tradition that dates back to the Loretta Lynch confirmation hearing in January 2015.

Shot down by Lynch, Graham decided to try his luck with 2017 Donald Trump nominee and former colleague Jeff Sessions. Sessions was a bit more open to looking into the matter, but his comments seemed to be little more than lip service. He declined to revisit the 2011 DOJ opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Now Graham is hoping former George H.W. Bush AG and current nominee Barr will be sympathetic to his cause.

If recent history is any indication, though, he probably won’t. Find more information about the potential online gambling ban on our YouTube channel.