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View Full Version : Mike Lee cosponsors Lindsey Graham's bill to ban online gambling




tsai3904
03-26-2014, 11:04 AM
Graham, Chaffetz Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Restore Wire Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) today introduced their bipartisan legislation, Restoration of America's Wire Act, which restores the long-standing interpretation of the Wire Act and reverses the Department of Justice's abrupt December 2011 decision to expand online gaming.

"This is yet another example of the Holder Justice Department and Obama Administration ignoring the law," said Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "In 1999, South Carolina outlawed video poker and removed over 33,000 video poker machines from within its borders. Now, because of the Obama Administration's decision, virtually any cell phone or computer can again become a video poker machine. It's simply not right."

"The DOJ opened the door for massive change in policy without significant public input. These fundamental changes need to go through Congress. By restoring the original interpretation of the Wire Act, we are putting the genie back in the bottle and allowing for an open debate to take place," said Chaffetz.

...

Earlier this week the Governors of Texas and South Carolina also wrote to Congress expressing concerns about the Department of Justice's decision.

Texas Governor Rick Perry wrote, "When gambling occurs in the virtual world, the ability of states to determine whether the activity should be available to its citizens and under what conditions - and to control the activity accordingly - is left subject to the vagaries of the technological marketplace. This seriously compromises the ability of states to control gambling within their borders." (Letter: http://bit.ly/1ha5nG6)

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said, "Allowing Internet gaming to invade the homes of every American family, and to be piped into our dens, living rooms, workplaces, and even our kids' bedrooms and dorm rooms, is a major decision. We must carefully examine the short and long-term social and economic consequences before Internet gambling spreads." (Letter: http://bit.ly/1m6jGMq)

The legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire). The legislation is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D - Hawaii), Jim Matheson (D - Utah), Lamar Smith (R - Texas), Jim Jordan (R - Ohio), Trent Franks (R - Arizona), George Holding (R - North Carolina), Frank Wolf (R - Virginia), James Lankford (R - Oklahoma), and Emanuel Cleaver (D - Missouri).

...

More:
http://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=f8442c66-a918-da0c-9a4d-ddb201e26ae9

Update: Mike Lee's press release: http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/blog?ContentRecord_id=227738ee-0bcb-4a2b-bb3b-ac31e56aa913

Brian4Liberty
03-26-2014, 11:25 AM
Is the LDS pushing this crap?

Snew
03-26-2014, 11:32 AM
LOL, here's another good 'ol "liberty candidate"

angelatc
03-26-2014, 11:33 AM
As usual, when a bill gets broad bipartisan support, freedom is being trampled.

Brian4Liberty
03-26-2014, 11:51 AM
448879084420861952

twomp
03-26-2014, 11:59 AM
Damn Mike Lee started off his career so well too. I guess it's hard to resist the ring of power when you are in D.C.

ctiger2
03-26-2014, 12:02 PM
-1 for Lee, Chaffetz is horrible as well.

V3n
03-26-2014, 12:27 PM
I can kind of see it as a "State Rights" deal - kinda sorta - but if you outlaw Gambling in your State - just arrest/punish/whatever those doing it when they are caught.. don't ban it off the whole internet - because then you are infringing on those States that have not outlawed it.

Don't get me wrong, the whole thing STINKS - I'm just saying I can maybe see the other side of the argument.. a teency bit..

and BOOOOOOOOO!!! Mike Lee! BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Vanguard101
03-26-2014, 12:33 PM
Meh every libertarian congressman has violated the notion of freedom in one way. (-3) though.

Brett85
03-26-2014, 02:51 PM
How can Mike Lee square this with the 10th amendment? Or am I just not understanding what this bill actually does?

Edit: After reading this, it looks like the bill might actually restore states' rights, which seems like it would be a good thing. I don't support banning online gambling, but the states have the right to do that under the 10th amendment.

"In 1999, South Carolina outlawed video poker and removed over 33,000 video poker machines from within its borders. Now, because of the Obama Administration's decision, virtually any cell phone or computer can again become a video poker machine. It's simply not right."

tsai3904
03-26-2014, 03:01 PM
How can Mike Lee square this with the 10th amendment? Or am I just not understanding what this bill actually does?

Here's the leading online poker advocate group's take:


PPA Criticizes Senator Graham and Congressman Chaffetz’s Proposed Bills to Ban Online Poker and Restrict States’ Rights

Washington, DC (March 26, 2014) – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, today condemns legislation introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) that seeks to amend the Wire Act of 1961 expanding it to ban Internet poker and select forms of Internet gambling.

“These bills trample on the rights of states, but of greater concern is the fact that they will deny consumers of any meaningful protections that can only be achieved through responsible state or federal regulation. Today, three states are safely and effectively regulating Internet poker. This misguided attempt at prohibition will turn back the clock in those states and destroy the opportunity for others to gain the economic and societal benefits of offering its citizens a safe and regulated place to play online,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “We hope Senator Graham and Congressman Chaffetz and the other supporters of these bills will sideline any political motivations and choose to support what’s in the best interest of American consumers by reconsidering these bills.”

In 2011 the U.S. Department of Justice, after careful review of relevant case law andlegislative history, found that the Wire Act bans only online sports betting. The legislation introduced today would overturn this ruling and grossly expand the scope and intent of the 1961 law. It would also shutter the regulated online gaming markets established in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware which currently provide hundreds of thousands of online players with effective consumer protections.

PPA members have sent tens of thousands of letters, emails and tweets to their elected members of Congress urging them to support legislation to facilitate licensing and regulation of Internet poker in participating states and to oppose legislation that would expand the Wire Act and strip states of their rights to authorize online poker sites.

“For years, the PPA has fought to provide players with a safe and regulated environment to play poker online across the nation. These bills amount to a prohibition, plain and simple, and they deny the realities of today’s online world. If enacted, they would only serve to expand an unregulated market that protects no one. Instead, Congress should focus on corralling the unregulated marketplace and turning it into a system that is safe for consumers and accountable to regulators and our government,” said Pappas. “Online poker licensing and regulation is the only way to ensure consumers are protected with clear laws and strong enforcements, and poker players deserve this right.”

http://theppa.org/press-releases/2014/03/26/press-release-ppa-criticizes-senator-graham-and-congressman-chaffetzs-proposed-bills-to-ban-online-poker-and-restrict-states-rights-03262014/

TaftFan
03-26-2014, 03:08 PM
At first I figured this happened to do with the probes into Lee and Reid. Actually, the gambling connection was only for Reid. The Lee probe had something to do with financing his house.

tsai3904
03-26-2014, 03:09 PM
FYI, for those in Utah, Mike Lee holds a monthly telephone town hall. The next one is on April 9. It would be a good opportunity to get his take on this.

http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/tele-townhall-meetings

DamianTV
03-26-2014, 03:13 PM
Can we just propose a bill to ban Lindsey Graham?

Brian4Liberty
03-26-2014, 03:16 PM
Here's the leading online poker advocate group's take:

http://theppa.org/press-releases/2014/03/26/press-release-ppa-criticizes-senator-graham-and-congressman-chaffetzs-proposed-bills-to-ban-online-poker-and-restrict-states-rights-03262014/

Seems like we have Casinos and gambling prohibitionists on one side, and the tax and regulate online gambling association on the other side. Plain old freedom doesn't have a special interest lobby.

tsai3904
03-26-2014, 03:46 PM
Mike Lee's letter to Utah's Attorney General seeking clarification on internet gambling:


Dear Attorney General Reyes,

I write in response to the February 4, 2014, letter you wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee requesting congressional review of the recent reversal of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) interpretation of the Wire Act, 19 U.S.C., as it applies to internet gambling.

By issuing a legal opinion suggesting that the Wire Act does not apply to online gambling or lotteries, the Office of Legal Counsel at DOJ has done a disservice to our country. Besides being difficult to regulate, online gambling poses risks in all the ways you highlighted in your letter, namely, money laundering, access by minors, fraud, exploitation of individuals with a gambling addiction, and terrorist financing.

After careful consideration, informed by your request, Senator Graham (R-SC) and I are prepared to introduce the Internet Gambling Control Act of 2014, legislation that addresses these concerns by amending the Wire Act so that its application to online gambling and lotteries cannot be misinterpreted. By returning this inherently interstate activity to its proper place under federal enforcement, we hope to address the public policy implications you have asked us to consider.

http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/blog?ContentRecord_id=227738ee-0bcb-4a2b-bb3b-ac31e56aa913

Keith and stuff
03-26-2014, 04:07 PM
Mike Lee and a whole bunch of other people are clearly coming out against people's rights. Or even so called state's rights if you will. This bill is meant to remove rights and that's it. Of course, the government cannot take away your right to gamble. However, if this passes, the government might kill if you try to exercise a basic right that everyone has since birth.

When Billionaires get involved with politics, funny things happen.

I'm not surprised that Lindsey Graham would introduce an anti-state's rights type bill. Hopefully this can be used against him in his primary. Is the Tenth Amendment Center strong in SC?

dannno
03-26-2014, 04:19 PM
"In 1999, South Carolina outlawed video poker and removed over 33,000 video poker machines from within its borders. Now, because of the Obama Administration's decision, virtually any cell phone or computer can again become a video poker machine. It's simply not right."

*Waahhhhhh we can't be tyrannical cunts cuz of the internet!!! WAAHHHHHHHhh*

Not our problem, SC.

HOLLYWOOD
03-26-2014, 05:17 PM
Let me see...

a.) Gamble on-line in the comfort of my home or on the road, drinking and eating what I desire and hopefully, maybe I win something in my enjoyment playing

OR

b.) Forced to travel, pay the expenses at the lobbying Casinos/Hotels/Indian Reservations, under surveillance of microphones and video cameras, backed by team thugs, that may not like the way I play, etc etc.


One needs to look at the lobbying dollars going to not only the politicians, but the huge sums to the two oligarchical political parties.

How conservative or Mike Lee and Chaffetz to get involved in this... any casinos or taxing institutions bribing, uh I mean donating to these political puppets? I don;t even have to look... probably laundering it through the RNC, GOP, and RJC money groups.

RonPaulMall
03-26-2014, 07:47 PM
How can Mike Lee square this with the 10th amendment? Or am I just not understanding what this bill actually does?

Edit: After reading this, it looks like the bill might actually restore states' rights, which seems like it would be a good thing. I don't support banning online gambling, but the states have the right to do that under the 10th amendment.

"In 1999, South Carolina outlawed video poker and removed over 33,000 video poker machines from within its borders. Now, because of the Obama Administration's decision, virtually any cell phone or computer can again become a video poker machine. It's simply not right."

Saying this bill "restores states rights" is like saying the Federal Laws against Marijuana are strengthening "states rights" by citing all the states that have similar laws targeting Marijuana. That's utter nonsense. What this Bill does is make internet gambling a Federal Crime and removes the ability of states to decide the issue themselves. Horrible bill from both a Constitutional and Moral perspective and Mike Lee should be ashamed of himself for supporting it.

Cleaner44
03-26-2014, 09:02 PM
Seems like we have Casinos and gambling prohibitionists on one side, and the tax and regulate online gambling association on the other side. Plain old freedom doesn't have a special interest lobby.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q&feature=kp

RonPaul4Prez2012
03-26-2014, 10:09 PM
Can we just propose a bill to ban Lindsey Graham?

Lindsey Graham whata POS maggot

ObiRandKenobi
03-26-2014, 11:19 PM
oh mike lee no.

Keith and stuff
03-28-2014, 06:48 PM
The Democratic Governor Association is here to rescue freedom! Thank goodness these Democrats are standing up to Republican Sen. Graham and Republican Rep. Chaffetz.

Democratic Governors Call Gambling Control Act $20 Billion Mistake
March 27, 2014 By David Sheldon
http://www.casino.org/news/democratic-governors-call-gambling-control-act-20-billion-mistake


The was letter signed on behalf of the DGA by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and New Hampshire Governor Maggie Wood Hassan – Chair and Vice Chair of the DGA – respectively.


“Aside from the fact that gaming regulation is a right that has historically been ceded to the states, this Bill would create a loss of almost $20 billion for the states in lottery revenue alone (North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries),” said the DGA in their official letter.

“This Bill would financially crush state-funded government services, and the estimate does not even include the loss of actual and future revenues derived from legal and regulated Internet gaming and lottery,” the governors added.

The DGA is concerned that the proposed bill so broadly defines the “sporting event or contest” around which it seeks to prohibit betting that it would effectively outlaw all forms of Internet gaming and gaming-related transactions in the US, with the exception of horse racing and fantasy sports. Since the state lotteries rely on the Internet in order to sell tickets, the legislation would effectively outlaw lotteries – including the lucrative Powerball and Mega Millions drawings – in 47 states around the US.

Grandfather Clause
The DGA also expressed its concern about the lack of a grandfather clause in the bill, which means no exemption for existing traditional state lotteries – or the newly regulated Internet gaming in Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada, for that matter. Should the bill pass, lottery sales and subscriptions in Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Virginia would also become illegal.

“Some states have chosen not to allow and regulate gaming; and for the many states that do allow it, gaming and lotteries are critical to producing the revenue needed to fund important state and local governmental services, such as public education,” said the DGA.

“If enacted, not only would this Bill ban all forms of regulated Internet gaming and Internet lottery sales, but it would also have the effect of prohibiting the operation of traditional lottery draw games… currently offered in 44 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands,” the letter continued.

HOLLYWOOD
03-28-2014, 07:05 PM
Numbers coming in are not good for the Silver State and Casino gambling... time to lobbying Harry Reid and Washington DC to ban online anything with wagering. Report hours ago...

Today's news: http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/nevada-gaming-revenues-down-137-percent-february


Posted March 28, 2014 - 6:56am Updated March 28, 2014 - 2:42pm Nevada gaming revenues down 13.7 percent in February



http://www.reviewjournal.com/sites/default/files/field/media/web1_MGM-Grand-Baccarat_040907_0.jpg
Nevada gaming revenues fell 13.7 percent in February. Clark County as a whole saw gaming revenue
decline 15.2 percent. (Las Vegas Review-Journal file)

By HOWARD STUTZ
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL


Nevada casinos went into February facing a comparison to the state’s largest gaming revenue month in almost five years and a baccarat revenue month that was an all-time record.
So the state’s 13.7 gaming revenue decline wasn’t too much of a surprise.

High-end baccarat players, lured to Las Vegas by the Chinese New Year holiday, had a run of good luck at the tables.
The Gaming Control Board said Friday that February results also included $824,000 from online poker, marking the first time the state has broken out the revenue figures. There are three online poker sites accepting real-money wagers from gamblers playing inside state borders.
“It’s in its infancy,” control board senior research analyst Michael Lawton said of the state’s online poker business. “We’ll see what happens.”
In the 10 months since the first website went live, online poker has contributed $8.5 million in gaming revenue.

Statewide, gaming revenue was $926 million compared to $1.073 billion in February 2013. On the Strip, gaming revenues were $555.7 million, a 20.2 percent decline compared with $696.1 million in 2013.

Baccarat play was the contributing factor in the decline.
Casinos collected $158 million from baccarat, a decline of 40 percent compared to the all-time record of $263.8 million in February 2013. The amount wagered on baccarat was $1.3 billion, a decline of 19.1 percent. The hold percentage — the percentage amount casinos won versus what players collected — was 12.3 percent, compared with 16.6 percent last year.
Revenue figures also declined in all other table games.
“To make matters worse, the core gaming segment held unlucky once again,” Susquehanna gaming analyst Rachael Rothman said.
Macquarie Securities gaming analyst Chad Beynon said the first two months could foreshadow a tough first quarter for several casino companies, including Wynn Resorts Ltd., Las Vegas Sands Corp. and MGM Resorts International.

RandallFan
03-28-2014, 08:19 PM
Is the LDS pushing this crap?

Is it the LDS or businessmen who happen to be Mormom?

Teenager For Ron Paul
03-28-2014, 09:57 PM
Mike Lee. My senator. We non-statists in Utah are disappoint.

Keith and stuff
03-28-2014, 10:29 PM
Mike Lee. My senator. We non-statists in Utah are disappoint.

He is just a co-sponsor. The House prime sponsor is from UT, though :(

gwax23
03-28-2014, 11:01 PM
They dotn even try to come up with arguments to ban gambling anymore. Its almost like they are indirectly admitting its absolute BS. 2014 and we still have these archaic laws. Ridiculous.

Matt Collins
03-28-2014, 11:17 PM
How can Mike Lee square this with the 10th amendment? Or am I just not understanding what this bill actually does?

Edit: After reading this, it looks like the bill might actually restore states' rights, which seems like it would be a good thing. I don't support banning online gambling, but the states have the right to do that under the 10th amendment.Or do they? If it is interstate commerce then the state governments really have no say in the matter, right?

Bastiat's The Law
03-29-2014, 01:18 AM
Bible Thumpery

Keith and stuff
03-29-2014, 04:48 AM
Or do they? If it is interstate commerce then the state governments really have no say in the matter, right?

Generally, according to a sane reading of interstate commerce, the federal government has very little say in such matters. If national security is at risk or it's something major, then sure, the federal government might be able to have a say in the matter. But generally, it's unconstitutional for the federal government to regulate whether people gamble online or in person across state lines.

enhanced_deficit
03-29-2014, 09:28 AM
Dronebag's bud could be joining these neocons too. There is no proof that he was "black balled" because he had supported online gambling previously or is now ready to "play ball".


Christie to speak at Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas today


on March 29, 2014 at 10:20 AM

LAS VEGAS (http://www.nj.com/politics/) — Gov. Chris Christie today will speak to the Republican Jewish Coalition and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson in what is widely believed to be an effort to impress the GOP megadonor ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The speech comes the day after a combative Christie (http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/03/chris_christie_seen_in_positive_light_in_internal_ bridge_scandal_review.html) faced reporters for the first time in 76 days, boasting that he was exonerated by report his office commissioned to look into the September closing of lanes to the George Washington Bridge.

During the news conference Thursday, Christie said he didn’t know if he was meeting personally with the Adelsons, who gave nearly $100 million to mostly unsuccessful candidates in 2012.

"There is significantly less interest around the country on this report than there is in this region. I don't know if I am having a private meeting with Sheldon and Miriam or not. I haven't looked at my schedule yet for tomorrow,” he said.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/03/christie_to_speak_at_republican_jewish_coalition_i n_las_vegas_today.html