Nevada A.G. To Support Federal Internet Poker Ban

Las Vegas Sand’s chairman Sheldon Adelson’s anti-online gambling campaign has proven to be very successful in America as only Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have succeeded in legalizing online gambling. Now Adam Laxalt, Nevada Attorney General has stated that even though his state has legalized online gambling he was willing to throw his support behind Adelson’s campaign to reinstate America’s 1961 Wire Act.

If the federal government decided to implement America’s 1961 Wire Act it will now allow any states to legalize online gambling and Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware will be forced to shutdown their online gambling operations. The online lottery industry will not have any impact and will be allowed to continue.

Laxalt stated that Nevada’s former attorney general Eric Holder made changes to Nevada’s online gambling legislation without having all the necessary parties present to ensure that Nevada’s gamblers were kept safe at all times. Laxalt stated that these laws must be further examined and Nevada should go back to banning all forms of online gambling. Laxalt’s comments drew a strong response from Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval who was the one who signed the online gambling bill into existence.

In a statement, Gov. Brian Sandoval said

The gaming industry is changing and in order for Nevada’s businesses to maintain a competitive edge internationally, we must enact policies that allow the industry to meet the demands of a younger, more technologically engaged gamer. The groundbreaking online gaming bill previously passed by the legislature provides local businesses with an environment where they can grow and prosper. This measure also ensures our regulatory bodies, which are considered the best in the world, will continue to develop policies that will ensure Nevada remains the global epicenter for gaming development.

Gov Sandoval was also the one who decided to sign a new intra-state gambling agreement that would allow Nevada and Delaware to have a liquidity sharing agreement and give online poker players a bigger field of competition. Sandoval who is a former gaming regulator in Nevada also criticized the attorney general indirectly by saying that he would very concerned about individuals who represented Nevada’s legal interests but yet went on to publically criticize current law in Nevada.

Jim Murren, the CEO of MGM Resorts also supported Governor Sandoval and stated that he hoped Attorney General Laxalt would not sign any petition that would look to ban online gambling as that would effectively convey the message that Laxalt is against Nevada’s gaming industry, the creation of jobs and not in favor of the largest employer in Nevada.