Ron Paul and Norm Singleton on latest attempt to sneak online gaming ban into law

Campaign for Liberty Chairman Ron Paul and President Norman Singleton issued the following statement regarding reports that Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent is attempting to attach the Restoration of America’s Wireless Act (RAWA) to an appropriations bill.

Ron Paul: Congress has no authority to outlaw online gaming and nullify the laws in the states that have legalized online gaming. Criminalizing online gaming gives the surveillance state one more excuse to spy on our online activities and ensures that online gaming will be controlled by criminals.

RAWA represents not only a textbook example of the “Bootleggers and Baptists” coalition but the worst type of crony capitalism. It is an open secret the main reason this bill is being pushed is to please casino owners who happens to be one of, if not the, GOP’s largest donors. This donor wishes to use the power of government to put his online competitors out of business.

It is outrageous that Congress would even think of sneaking this unconstitutional and anti-Liberty bill into law by adding to an it appropriations bill, or, even worse, a large end of year Omnibus spending bill.

Norm Singleton:  Sneaking RAWA into an appropriations or Omnibus bill to please one large donor is the type of crony capitalist deal that the American people rejected when they voted to drain the swamp. It is ironic the alleged leader of this latest effort to attach RAWA to a spending bill, Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent, comes from a state whose legislature may soon vote to legalize online gaming.

Campaign for Liberty members helped beat back attempts to sneak RAWA into an appropriations and Omnibus bills since 2014, and they stand ready to do so again.