Former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R) criticized a proposed online gambling ban in a PennLive opinion piece this week. Rep. Paul, who ran for U.S. president in 2008 and 2012, said Restore America’s Wire Act violates “the principles of federalism”.
Representative Paul, a libertarian conservative who played a key a role in the early stages of the Tea Party, said that a federal ban on gambling would be a threat to “the constitutional rights of all Americans”.
“Charlie Dent Is Making a Losing Bet”
In an opinion piece titled “Charlie Dent Is Making a Losing Bet with His Online Gaming Ban“, Ron Paul argued that Congressman Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania was undermining his own state’s authority by backing Resort America’s Wire Act (RAWA).
Ron Paul, who served as a U.S. Representative from the State of Texas from 1997 to 2013, argued that Restore America’s Wire Act represents a vast expansion of federal authority. If the US government can claim the right to interfere in state government’s oversight of gambling, it can claim the same authority on countless other issues.
Dent’s Amendment Could Hurt States Rights
In his opinion piece, Ron Paul took apart several arguments put forward by Charlie Dent and his allies. At the heart of the disagreement is how best to serve US states — by offering federal protection by banning interstate gambling, or by getting out of the way and letting states police themselves.
The issue of states rights is the first issue Ron Paul addressed. He wrote, “Three states, New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada, have legalized online gaming. Dent’s amendment would nullify these state laws, as well as cut off debate in the several states considering legalizing online gaming. One of those states currently debating legalizing online gambling is Pennsylvania.”
“It is odd for Dent to usurp state authority in this way, especially since a poll by the Bravo Group, a Harrisburg public affairs firm, shows that more than two-thirds of Keystone State residents support legalizing online gaming.”
Is Every Smartphone a Casino?
RAWA supporters sometimes argue that New Jersey, Nevada, or Delaware online casinos and poker sites encroach on the rights of other US states, because it allows residents in the 47 other states to gamble online. In the words of one senator, New Jersey legal online gambling turns every smartphone in South Carolina into a potential casino.
Ron Paul challenged that argument by noting that GPS technology bans out-of-state play in New Jersey. A person has to be inside the state boundaries of New Jersey to play on regulated online casinos and card rooms. Anyone with GPS tracking in their car should know that GPS is accurate and reliable.
Ron Paul Discusses GPS Technology
As the former congressman said, “Some proponents of a federal ban on online gambling claim the federal government must act because legal online casinos make it easy for citizens in states to restrictive gambling laws to violate those laws.”
“This argument ignores the existence of technology capable of ensuring that only those legally allowed to do so can gamble online. Supporters of the Dent amendment should ask themselves who is likely to use this technology — an online casino controlled by criminals or an online casino operating in accordance with state law?”
The discussion of the GPS technology has been a winner for proponents of state-regulated online gambling in hearings and op-ed pieces. People intuitively understand that GPS works, because they either use the technology themselves or they have seen friends and family use it. When you order a pizza online and can see the local Pizza Huts in your area without prompting, it is hard for senators to argue that household devices cannot know what state you are in.
Republicans Against Online Gambling Ban
Rep. Paul is one of several prominent libertarian or conservative politicians who have called out Restore America’s Wire Act. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who is Ron Paul’s son, also opposes RAWA on the same grounds. So does Grover Norquist, the influential anti-tax lobbyist and vice president of the NRA.
