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WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 24, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), S. 1668. The bill’s purpose is not to “restore” any legislation to its original intent, but for the fed to further encroach into state’s jurisdiction.

The following can be attributed to Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform:

“State legislatures are more than capable of making their own decisions about gambling online in their states just like they have done with live casinos.  They don’t need the federal government babysitting them.  The Internet should be a freedom zone, and this is a piece of that pie.”

Precedent since the birth of the Republic has been to leave decisions about gambling in the hands of the states. The states should continue to make their own decisions about the regulation of intrastate online gambling, just as they have done with brick-and-mortar gambling for hundreds of years. It has served the country well for these matters to be settled at the state level.

There are strong opinions and business interests surrounding gambling in general, but, fundamentally, this is a question of the defense of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.