According to a report published Tuesday in The Hill, a coalition of libertarian groups has come forward to oppose efforts that would effectively ban online gambling at the federal level.
The coalition calls the controversial bill in question “an inappropriate and unnecessary use of federal powers that infringes on the rights of individuals and states.”
Last month, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers introduced bills in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate that aim to kill an industry before it’s even born.
Facing what could be an uphill battle in Congress, it isn’t clear if either bill stands a fighting chance of passage. Nonetheless, the fight will be had.
The measures are aimed at reversing a 2011 decision by Attorney General Eric Holder that a 1961 law used in recent years to curb Internet gaming only barred sports betting. The bills introduced Wednesday would broaden the prohibition to where it stood before Holder’s ruling.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is one of the biggest advocates for ending all online gambling in the U.S. Graham said that because of the Justice Department’s decision, “Virtually any cellphone or computer can again become a video poker machine. It’s simply not right.”
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