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How Will Republican Control of Both Houses Impact Online Poker?

The mid-term November elections recently concluded, with the Republicans taking majority control in both the House and Senate. This wasn’t a total surprise because many have been unhappy with the Barack Obama administration and the overall state of America. But now that GOP control has become a reality, it’s worth understanding what impact this could have on online poker in the US.

Sheldon Adelson’s case against online poker strengthened, but not a forgone conclusion

The first issue that surfaces here involves thinking that Adelson’s Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) will have a better chance of passing. A big reason why is because Adelson truly opens his checkbook for some Republican candidates in exchange for them supporting his anti-online gaming policies. One need only look at the growing number of co-sponsors for RAWA, which now includes dozens of Republican House and Senate members.

Assuming RAWA is passed, it would mean the end of iGaming on both a state and federal level. But this bill being passed is far from a sure thing, especially since it needs to clear both the House Judiciary Committee and Senate. Seeing as how only 11% of bills pass the committee, this doesn’t give RAWA very favorable odds of making it through one or both of the houses.

GOP party not totally in support of iGaming ban

Another big point worth mentioning is that not all Republicans are drawing funding from Adelson. The guy might be worth $38 billion, but he has his limits. So not all GOP members are going to side with him out of an obligation to campaign dollars. Furthermore, individual Republicans have agendas that center on keeping iGaming legal and spreading throughout the US.

Mitch McConnell, the new Senate Majority Leader, is from Kentucky where online horse betting brings in big money. Assuming RAWA were to pass, this would take a large amount of tax dollars from the Bluegrass state. GOP members in other states such as California, Illinois and Pennsylvania – all of which are strongly considering iGaming – will also have big reservations about RAWA.

So while Adelson’s favored party might have the majority in both the House and Senate, it by no means suggests that a federal ban on online gaming is coming.

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