U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and John Kyl (R-AZ) are advocating legislation that would limit Internet gambling. More importantly for retailers, the legislation would ban the online sale of instant-win lottery tickets.
Several years ago, Congress took steps to limit the abuses of Internet gambling and to protect Americans from a rapid explosion of gambling on the Internet. In late December 2011, however, the Department of Justice stated that the Federal Wire Act of 1961 only applies to sports betting. The change marked a huge shift for the Justice Department, which had long relied on the law when asserting that all forms of Internet gambling, especially online poker, were illegal.
Because of this dramatic change, NACS is encouraging convenience retailers to take action: Write your members of Congress requesting that they pass legislation during the lame duck session to limit online gaming—including the online sale of lottery tickets.
Sending a letter to your members of Congress is easy through the NACS Grassroots site, where you can personalize the letter NACS has created. (NACS: www.nacsonline.com)
