On Wednesday, the Washington DC Finance and Revenue Committee voted to advance a bill calling for the repeal of the country’s first Internet Gaming Law. The 3-2 vote will send the bill before the full council for a vote next week.
Opposition to the internet gambling law was led by Councilmember Tommy Wells and was strongly supported by councilmember David A. Catania. In the days following a public oversight hearing on the topic, Mayor Vincent Gray, a one time supporter of the program, spoke out in favor of the repeal.
Opponents of the law claim their opposition is based on the process by which the law was passed, even though Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby found “no evidence” any laws were broken in the process of legalizing Internet gambling in the district.
In sponsor of the internet gambling program, councilmember Michael A. Brown suspects their motivations may lie elsewhere.
“I believe that casinos have now reared their head in our city,” Brown said, according to the Washington Post. If Internet gambling is legalized on the federal level, “we won’t get any of the revenue.”
The race to the pot of gold at the end of the Internet gambling rainbow is in full force. States looking at capitalizing on the controversial past-time since the DOJ reinterpreted the Wire Act late last year include: California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Jersey.
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Correction: The article as it originally appeared stated that there would be two votes of the full council instead of one.
