U.S. Senator Robert Menendez has condemned the new bill introduced in the US which would effectively ban all forms of online gaming. The “Restoration of America’s Wire Act” was introduced earlier this week in both houses of Congress by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah.
The Act would restore the long-standing interpretation of the Wire Act and reverses the Department of Justice’s December 2011 decision to expand online gaming.
Menendez, from New Jersey – one of the few states that has legalised online gaming, said the Act is a mistake: “Blanket prohibition of internet gaming will empower black market operators at the expense of responsible states like New Jersey which have invested in creating a secure internet gaming structure. This bill would have the perverse effect of putting millions of American poker players at risk while doing nothing to prevent minors from playing online, combat fraud or crack down on other illegal activities. Simply put, blanket prohibition of internet gaming is a futile attempt to apply an antiquated approach to a 21st century issue.”
Introducing the Act, Chaffetz said: “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.”