According to a Tweet from the Poker Players Alliance(PPA), there will not be a hearing during the lame duck session of Congress to ban internet gambling in the United States. This should be welcome news for our community. The Tweet, which was posted by PPA Executive Director John Pappas on Monday, read in part, “Internet poker hearing in House Judiciary cmte has been pulled.”

The hearing would have discussed the merits of a bill by Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) called Restoring America’s Wire Act. The measure bans internet gambling in the US, including in the three states where it’s currently regulated: New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. According to Pappas, fantasy sports sites like FanDuel would not have been affected.

While there likely won’t be a hearing in the Judiciary Committee, RAWA could still be tacked onto a must-pass piece of legislation like a budget bill that’s currently being discussed.

According to Online Poker Report, however, such a move seems unlikely: “With an omnibus spending bill looking like a poor vehicle in the light of an impending showdown over immigration and the recent public pushback against RAWA from Ron Paul and other voices in the libertarian wing of the GOP, lame duck passage of RAWA is looking like a tougher and tougher bet by the day.”

Poker players might recall that eight years ago, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which changed the face of internet gambling in the US, was tacked onto an unrelated port security measure during the waning moments of that year’s Congressional session. However, the UIGEA was passed in the House by a landslide vote, whereas RAWA has not yet been brought up in committee.

Accordingly, Pappas urged the poker community “remain vigilant for other lame duck actions“:

Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson is reportedly the driving force behind Chaffetz’s bill and has vowed to spend “whatever it takes” to rid the US of internet gambling. Sands operates the Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas and Sands Bethlehem in Pennsylvania.

Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest poker legislation news.

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