New Jersey Lawmakers Worried Federal Bills Could Destroy Online Gambling

Two prominent federal lawmakers have introduced bills that would reinstate that Wire Act's ban on all forms of online gambling. The bill currently has support from both political parties, but it is unclear whether it has sufficient support to pass Congress. Senior New Jersey lawmakers have raised a number of objections to the bill.

Governor Chris Christie appears to be the most concerned. Christie was initially counting on online gambling to generate over $1 billion in revenue for the state coffers. He was already concerned that revenues didn't meet his projections. However, a federal ban on online gambling would cause significant problems for the state at a time when it can least afford them.

Senator Bob Menendez and Raymond Lesniak both insisted that federal lawmakers should vote against the bill. Menendez said that the bill would place millions of Americans at risk. He also said that the bill would create serious problems for states that are already depending on online gambling revenues. Lesniak voiced the same concerns and asked lawmakers to at the very least add a grandfather clause to protect states that have already invested considerable sums of money in their online gambling markets.

Governor Christie's office has not responded to any inquiries about the new bills. However, he seems confident that neither bill will pass. The governor recently stated that online gambling revenues will likely continue to grow in the foreseeable future.

Both bills have been backed by Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino tycoon. Adelson has been lobbying against online gambling for a long time, but has because most vocal against it over the past year. He is urging Congress to ban online gambling at the federal level.