Online Gambling Brawl In The U.S. Congress?
Added: July 27, 2015
Maybe so. At least that is what the early signs seem to indicate. As you know, the status of online gambling in the United States has been something of a back and forth affair for quite some time. Yet recent events clearly indicate that the issue is reaching a boiling point. In some respects you could say this latest development comes about at an interesting time.
Consider recent events in the United States that have completely disrupted what used to be the status quo. Recall that the U.S. Supreme Court only just recently affirmed the right of marriage for same sex couples. Also remember that President Obama has recently been wielding his executive pen like there was no tomorrow (and since he is in the last few months of his presidency, that is actually true on two levels). In other words, the status quo on many fronts is changing in the United States.
Which could turn out to be the reason that it seems that the opposition is starting to panic and run scared. The opposition to all things online gambling related, that is. If you think back over the last few years (since 2013 in fact), there have been quite a few big money opponents to the expansion of what is sometimes referred to as Internet Gambling. You may remember that none other than the land based casino magnate Sheldon Adelson publicly vowed to spend any amount of money necessary to not only prohibit any further expansion of online gambling but to also overturn and make illegal any existing online casinos such as those found in the state of New Jersey.
With that in mind, take a look at a recent development in what is starting to look like an all out war. The opposition, represented by its front group, The Coalition To Stop Internet Gambling, added some more firepower to their cause. In this case, the additional resources come in the form of a lobbying firm. For those of you who aren’t quite up to speed on what goes on in the capital, suffice it to say that Squire Patton Boggs is an international law firm with offices in no less than 21 countries. More importantly for this story is the undisputed fact that Squire Patton Boggs is the largest lobbying firm found in the Washington, D.C. area.
Is this a last ditch attempt by the opponents with the big money to overturn online gambling with one fell swoop? Or is it just another step along the way to what many are hoping to be the inevitable passage of legalized online gambling in the United States? Right now, it is too early in the game to call it either way. Keep an eye out as the story continues to develop.