Currently, there’s a lot of speculation surrounding the Sheldon Adelson-inspired Restoration of America’s Wire Act (S 2159, RAWA). Some insiders believe that RAWA – a bill that seeks to ban all forms of online gaming in the US – could include a poker carve-out. This speculation was given rise when Bally Tech’s John Connelly stated his opinion that a federal push during Congress’ November lame-duck session will make “everything other than (online) poker illegal.”
Furthermore, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a friend of Adelson’s, has been an ardent supporter of a poker carve-out. So if there’s actually a chance that Adelson’s RAWA bill comes to fruition, Reid might have some sway over how online poker gets included in this legislation.
Assuming iPoker was legalized on a federal level, this would obviously please poker players who don’t care about online casino games. It makes America’s entire population of 314 million people eligible to play regulated online poker. But if there’s one thing standing in the way of this becoming a reality, it might be the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS).
What does ISIS have to do with Federal Online Poker?
At face value, it’s hard to see a parallel between ISIS and the push for US iPoker at a federal level. But ISIS, which is described as a terrorist group by the United Nations, has grabbed the government’s full attention after releasing videos that show beheadings of American journalists and a British aid worker. The US recently began bombing key ISIS locations in Iraq and Syria as a military response to the growing threat.
So when Congress returns for their lame-duck session in November, online gaming won’t be the first thing on their minds. Instead, the key topic will be ISIS, and the Adelson-backed RAWA bill could get pushed to the side.
PPA claims Adelson isn’t interested in Poker Carve-Out anyway
Even if iGaming is at the forefront of the lame-duck session, there’s no guarantee that a poker carve-out would be involved. Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas told Pocketfives that he doesn’t see Adelson and the politicians who back RAWA making any exceptions.
“To be clear, as far as I know, Sheldon Adelson, Senator Lindsey Graham, and Congressman Jason Chaffetz have not signaled any interest in a compromise to their bill that protects online poker,” Pappas said.
State-by-State legalization is still key
Based on Pappas’ thoughts, online poker enthusiasts in the US should continue hanging their hopes on legalizing the game at the state level. Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada already offer iGaming while California is expected to do so next year. Morgan Stanley predicts that at least 20 states will legalize online gaming by 2020. And while this might not be widespread federal legalization, 20 states would definitely feature a very large pool of poker players.