POST-ELECTION LANDSCAPE
HIGH WIRE ACT In December, G2E hosted a webinar on the post-election landscape for the gaming industry. Ezra Amacher analyzes what was discussed and what it means at state and federal levels as a new administration gets sworn in. The world’s focus turned even more to the United States last November as the country voted for its next President, Joseph Biden. Though the election itself earned the lion’s share of attention, the gaming industry was eager to follow Congressional and Senate races, which would determine control of the nation’s Capitol, as well as state and local elections with potentially significant implications for individual markets. To break down the election results, Global Gaming Expo partnered with the American Gaming Association (AGA) for a G2E Insider Live Webinar, “What’s Next: The Post-Election Landscape and Implications for Gaming.” Moderated by the AGA’s Chris Cylke, the panel methodically broke down the election’s impact at the national, state and tribal level. At the time of the webinar on 10 December, control of the US Senate remained in the balance pending the results of the Georgia Senate runoffs in the first week of January. Even without 14 GAMINGAMERICA
knowing who would possess a majority in the Senate, the 2020 election offered some clear takeaways for our industry, beginning with the new President’s attitude toward gaming-related issues. The most significant influence Biden might have over the gaming industry is his administration’s stance on the Federal Wire Act. Created in 1961, the original Wire Act prohibited all forms of interstate gambling as a shield to prevent the mob from betting on rigged sporting events. In 2011 the Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified the act, stating: “Interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a sporting event or contest fall outside the reach of the Wire Act.” This paved the way for Nevada and New Jersey to legalize online poker, and for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and soon Michigan to allow online casinos. But two years ago, under President Trump’s Attorney General William Barr, the DOJ reversed the 2011 decision, arguing
