US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) on Internet Poker Licensing Legislation

Received this response from Sen. Cornyn regarding internet poker:

Dear Mr. __________:

Thank you for contacting me regarding Internet gambling. I recognize the time and effort that you are dedicating to actively participate in the democratic process, and I appreciate that you and other concerned citizens have provided me the benefit of your comments on this matter.

I do not support Internet gambling. I believe its costs outweigh its benefits. Internet gambling undermines local democracy and the law. It extends gambling beyond the states and municipalities that have chosen to permit it to everywhere in the nation, even where it is not permitted under local law. Placing bets over the Internet violates most states’ law and, to date, no state has authorized its citizens to place bets with a foreign-operated website. Federal law reinforces this, transforming violations of state gambling laws into federal crimes.

Internet gambling transfers wealth from the United States because Internet gambling websites operate primarily from foreign countries, while a majority of their customers reside in the United States. Some in government view gambling as a means to generate revenue and grow government. I am not among them. Gambling revenue is wealth transferred from citizens, often the poor, who could put the money to better use. Government needs to learn to live within its means, and it should not look to gambling, which causes a host of other problems, as a means to solve government mismanagement.

For these reasons, I support sensible federal legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was amended onto the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE Port Act; P.L. 109-347). This law, which was signed into law on October 13, 2006, prevents the use of credit cards and fund transfers for unlawful Internet gambling. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over this matter, you may be certain that I will keep your views in mind should relevant legislation be considered by the Senate.

I am always appreciative when Texans take the time to reach out and share their concerns. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

What he responded to:



Please support Internet poker licensing legislation

As a voter, taxpaying constituent, and poker enthusiast, I am writing to request that you support legislation to facilitate licensing and regulation of Internet poker in participating states. I also ask that you oppose legislation that would expand the Wire Act to strip states of their right to authorize online poker sites.

Three states have already chosen to exercise their rights in this area. New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada have authorized online poker sites which are in operation now. A federal shutdown of these law abiding, state approved sites would be an entirely inappropriate use of federal power and would be an affront to states' rights.

As you know, in 2011 the U.S. Department of Justice, after careful review of relevant case law and legislative history, found that the Wire Act bans only online sports betting. I concur that this is the correct interpretation regarding online poker. If it were not, prohibitionists would not be seeking to amend its language.

States have established the wherewithal and authority to protect their citizens by implementing stringent consumer protection standards. For example, technologies exist and are used successfully in the U.S. and Europe to verify the identity, age and location of players; to identify problem gamblers and refer them to treatment; and to detect money laundering. In fact, comprehensive research on the issue concludes that online poker operators have more effective and sophisticated tools to prevent and combat problem gaming than brick-and-mortar casinos.

Regulation also allows our elected officials to set high standards to thwart fraud and abuse of customers and collect much-needed revenue that is currently being sent offshore.

73% of Americans say the current state-by-state approach, either by states passing legislation directly or by choosing to participate in a federal system, is preferable to a federal ban. I encourage you to review this important polling: http://go.theppa.org/poll

Licensing and regulation is the way forward. I encourage you to support H.R. 2666, the bipartisan Poker Freedom Act, and H.R. 2282, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act. These bipartisan bills do not preempt states from exercising their traditional authority over gaming issues. Rather, they simply provide a framework for Congress to regulate this interstate commerce. States and tribes that choose not to participate in online poker and online casino-style gaming can opt out of the federal program, and opting out of the federal system does not preclude states or tribes from authorizing intrastate online poker or online casino-style gaming.

I look forward to your response on this issue. I, along with my over one million fellow Poker Players Alliance members, hope you will reconsider your course here. Thank you.

Very interesting read. I am hoping Florida will be the next State to legalize online poker. Thanks for sharing.

Big corporations who make products over seas and then primarily sell to Americans dont take money away from America?

That was a pretty lengthy response to your letter. At least he gave his honest opinion and thoughtfully replied to your question. Pretty impressive, even though a Texan should support online poker!

My Response to the gentleman from Texas would be....

I did not implore your office to legalize and regulate internet gambling in America: I asked for Internet Poker to be legalized and regulated!

Recently, a court has upheld Poker's classification as a game of skill (see Dicristina versus The United States.

As far as foreign corporations siphoning money from the United States because of the regulation of Internet Poker, this can be combated by making the United States more business friendly. In recent years we have seen many corporations fleeing the United States and conducting much of their business from within the borders of foreign states (you must have heard of outsourcing). The flow of US dollars to foreign corporations would therefore be nothing new. But if this is a major concern, then pass laws requiring internet poker corporations doing business in the United States to be located within the United Staes. It is as simple as that! We citizens of the republic supporting Internet Poker would have no qualms with that; we just want the FREEDOM to do what non-US citizens of the world are able to do freely at this very moment: play online poker.

rifflemao said:

For these reasons, I support sensible federal legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was amended onto the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE Port Act; P.L. 109-347). This law, which was signed into law on October 13, 2006, prevents the use of credit cards and fund transfers for unlawful Internet gambling. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over this matter, you may be certain that I will keep your views in mind should relevant legislation be considered by the Senate.

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I'm still trying to figure out if the part in red was meant to be snarky or genuinely neutral.

If online gambling is harmful to country then so are casinos. Let people should decide whether they should play poker or not.

rifflemao said:

I'm still trying to figure out if the part in red was meant to be snarky or genuinely neutral.

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It was a bold lie imo. He already stated he does not support it - so he does not give a damn about anything you said and will not take your views into consideration.

How he can say online gambling takes away from the USA and gives to other countries is freaking stupid. I guess he has never had to call a USA buisness and been routed to a call center in freaking india where you can't understand shit the people are saying but that outsourcing is ok ? It is only ok because some politician had his palm greased when that came through to be voted on i'm sure

What i'm getting from his response is that the US Government isn't making money so no gambling. May I borrow your letter and see if I receive a response from my Senator?

dakota-xx said:

It was a bold lie imo. He already stated he does not support it - so he does not give a damn about anything you said and will not take your views into consideration.

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Yeah, that's what it felt like.

@pokertoi, absolutely. It was a prefilled letter written by the PPA.

Gambling revenue is wealth transferred from citizens, often the poor, who could put the money to better use

Texas has a lottery. Who does he think is buying all those $10 scratch tickets? Michael Dell?