The U.S. Senate is currently deliberating on legislation that would prohibit internet gambling.
Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas recently put forward the legislation, which seeks to criminalize the operation or financing of online gambling websites.
The legislation, designated as S.3376, has been presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee for discussion and voting.
As stated in the bill’s text, it aims to guarantee that existing regulations effectively prevent the utilization of financial tools to support internet casinos. It also challenges a Department of Justice memorandum that some legislators believe has diminished the government’s capacity to prosecute unlawful online gambling activities.
This recent endeavor mirrors Sheldon Adelson’s longstanding crusade to ban internet gambling.
Past attempts to enact comparable legislation, such as the “Restoration of America’s Wire Act,” have been unsuccessful. This includes initiatives spearheaded by Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham in 2015 and 2016.
Advocates of these bills contend that a 2011 Department of Justice memorandum exceeded its authority. The memorandum clarified the government’s stance that the Wire Act, a law enacted in 1961, is not applicable to interstate online gambling that is not connected to sports wagering.
Although Senator Cotton has provided the Senate Judiciary Committee with the title and a rudimentary framework of his proposed legislation, the complete particulars and precise scope remain undisclosed.
