Poker players have been anxiously awaiting to see if Sheldon Adelson’s Restoration of America’s Wire Act would be included in the Cromnibus/Omnibus spending bill. According to a report at Bluff, the bill was not added to the final draft of the spending bill, though the legislation will most likely be reintroduced next year.
Many felt as though the bill might be included, especially after rumors that Harry Reid, the Senator Majority Leader, was considering working towards Adelson’s wishes to see the bill added. There were reports that John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, called Adelson personally to let him know that RAWA would not be placed into legislation.
It was unclear as to why the bill was not placed into the spending legislation but was most likely due to the need to pass the Cromnibus as well as the fact that the Cromnibus would be voted against if the RAWA was included. It is believed that by next year the bill will be introduced to try and continue the process of stopping online gambling on a federal level.
If RAWA is able to be reintroduced next year, there will need to be enough support as well as votes from each house to ensure the bill is passes. However, it is unlikely that there will be enough votes to see the legislation move forward. No one can seem to agree on every aspect of the bill which has kept RAWA from moving forward in the past.
Other states are getting in on the online gaming action, especially California, a big player in the online gambling industry. If more states continue to pass legislation and begin to offer online gambling, it will be harder to see the measure become a law with even more states getting in on the action.
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