Former Representative Ron Paul wants billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson to stop using his congressional clout to push a ban on internet gambling.
"It is an open secret, at least inside the Beltway, that this legislation is being considered as a favor to billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson," wrote Paul in an editorial. "Mr. Adelson, who is perhaps best known for using his enormous wealth to advance a pro-war foreign policy, is now using his political influence to turn his online competitors into criminals."
Earlier in the year, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill that would essential rewrite parts of the 1961 Wire Act to limit "any transmission over the Internet carried interstate or in foreign commerce," which would essentially ban certain kinds of betting operations.
Supports of the measure deny that Adelson, and his money, had anything to do with the proposed rewrite, but Paul disagrees.
"Supporters of an Internet gambling ban publicly deny they are motivated by a desire to curry favor with a wealthy donor," Paul wrote. "Instead, they give a number of high-minded reasons for wanting to ban this activity. Some claim that legalizing online gambling will enrich criminals and even terrorists!"
Paul added: "But criminalizing online casinos will not eliminate the demand for online casinos. Instead, passage of this legislation will likely guarantee that the online gambling market is controlled by criminals. Thus, it is those who support outlawing online gambling who may be aiding criminals and terrorists."
Adelson, who owns casinos all over the world, also started the organization the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling.
Read Paul's entire editorial here.
BenSwann.com covered this issue earlier this year. Check out the video below.
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