RAWA reintroduced in the US

blican Congressman Jason Chaffetz has reintroduced a bill that would place a federal ban on most forms of online gambling in the US.

Casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corporation CEO Sheldon Adelson, who recently met with Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, is reported to be behind the bill.

Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling lobby group is pushing for a blanket ban on online gaming.

The legislation is virtually identical to the bill put forward by Senator Lindsey Graham last year, but that bill was not given a hearing.

The legislation, titled the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), would re-amend the 1961 Wire Act, which placed a prohibition on certain types of betting businesses.

The 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act placed a federal ban on i-gaming in the US, but the Justice Department clarified the Wire Act in 2011, essentially allowing states to legalise online gambling outside of sports betting.

Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware are the only US states to have taken advantage of the amendment so far to regulate online gambling.

Most forms of online gaming would be banned under the terms of the bill, with the exception of wagers on horse racing and fantasy sports.