Reports indicate that the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations will hold a hearing on March 5th for the Sheldon Adelson-backed Restoration of America’s Wire Act.
The members of the subcommittee have the opportunity to promote reasoned discussion of an issue that carries substantial economic implications and 10th Amendment considerations.
But to promote such discussion – as opposed to simply appearing to advance the personal agenda of a major GOP financial supporter – two critical documents must be a part of the hearing.
A paper authored by Michelle Minton and published by the UNLV Center For Gaming Research in September 2014.
In under 10 pages, Minton provides the proper historical context surrounding the introduction and passage of the WIre Act. Minton also concisely articulates how the Wire Act evolved over time in response to the growth of online gambling.
If your intent is to discuss restoring the Wire Act, it’s imperative to understand what the original intent of the act was.
Minton’s research pushes back against a number of the assertions undergirding RAWA:
A seven-page letter authored in January 2015 by David Rebuck, the Director of New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement.
In the letter, Director Rebuck provides a comprehensive, frank survey of New Jersey’s experience with regulated online gambling during the first year of operation.
Hundreds of thousands of customers made hundreds of millions of dollars in wagers at New Jersey’s regulated online casinos in 2014.
And the state’s regulatory apparatus for gambling is considered one of the toughest and most thorough in the world.
That means what Director Rebuck has to say about regulated online gambling is the most recent, relevant and accurate testimony available on the matter.
And Rebuck is definitive on several key misperceptions frequently raised by RAWA supporters:
Rebuck’s testimony makes it clear that the speculative harms suggested by opponents of regulated online gambling have not come to pass in a controlled, auditable environment spanning a sizeable amount of individuals and transactions.