Following the introduction of legislation in the US Congress by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz that looks to ban online gambling and poker, Democratic Governors from 11 states replied with a letter to the major players in Congress denouncing the move.

The letter was addressed to the leaders of both parties in each chamber of Congress and was endorsed by the Democratic Governors Association that represents such states as California (Governor Jerry Brown), New York (Andrew Cuomo), and Illinois (Pat Quinn).

In the letter, the DGA stated that the Graham/Chaffetz bill would amend the Wire Act to “define a sporting event or contest” so broadly that it would prohibit all internet gambling in the United States except horse racing and fantasy sports.

“Some states have chosen not to allow and regulate gaming,” the letter continued. “For the many states that do allow it, gaming and lotteries are critical to producing the revenue needed to fund important state and local services.” The DGA puts a price tag of $20 billion on the lottery industry alone, indicating that the loss of those funds would impact such programs as education, senior services, veterans’ care, and gaming treatment programs.

The DGA letter also noted that the states that have already passed some form of regulated gambling, namely Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey, would be shut down and not “grandfathered” in according to the new bill’s language.

“As gaming regulation has historically been a right… ceded to the states, this bill has a severe and disastrous effect on state governments.” The DGA letter concluded with the signatures of Vermont Governor Pete Shumlin and New Hampshire Governor Margaret Wood Hassan (the Chair and Vice Chair of the DGA). “The bill is unworkable and it must be defeated,” they said.

The Graham/Chaffetz efforts hit the floor of Congress on Wednesday afternoon and, in a much-ballyhooed press conference, Graham and Chaffetz called their efforts “bipartisan.”

“This is yet another example of the Holder Justice Department and the Obama Administration ignoring the law,” Graham (pictured) stated during the press conference. “The DOJ opened the door for massive change in policy without significant public input. These fundamental changes need to go through Congress… By restoring the original interpretation of the Wire Act, we are putting the genie back in the bottle and allowing for an open debate to take place.”

Graham’s side of the legislation is co-sponsored by longtime Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein of California, who said, “I am pleased to join with Senator Graham to update the Wire Act. Many online gambling sites fail to screen for underage gamblers, do nothing to prevent money laundering, and offer no recourse for fraud or other criminal acts. I believe Congress has a responsibility to prevent abuses from occurring.”

Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) join Feinstein as cosponsors. Chaffetz can count on the supports of three Democrats – Tulsi Gabbard (HI), Jim Matheson (UT), and Emanuel Cleaver (MO) – who, along with Republicans Lamar Smith (TX), Jim Jordan (OH), Trent Franks (AZ), George Holding (NC), Frank Wolf(VA), and James Lankford (OK), are cosponsors of his bill.

Strangely silent on this issue are Nevada Senators Harry Reid and Dean Heller, who are thought to be working on a bill that would virtually ban all other online gambling other than poker. Reid’s only comment to this point was that the Graham/Chaffetz bills “would have to be examined” to see what they had to offer in the Nevada Senators’ efforts.

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