Prior to Trump taking office, a group of Republican attorneys general wrote a letter to President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team urging the White House to reevaluate the content of the 1961 Wire Act. These attorneys general are hoping that if the Trump administration reviews the Wire Act again they will reinterpret it to include a federal ban on all forms of online gambling.

One of the most interesting signers of this petition is Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt. On the surface, it may seem surprising that the attorney general of a state that successfully regulates online gambling within its borders would be in favor of a federal ban on the entire industry. This would seem especially unusual given that Laxalt built his 2014 campaign platform around protecting personal freedoms and limiting the federal government’s reach into the private lives of its citizens.

The Agenda Behind the Letter

What will almost certainly be unsurprising to anyone following the industry news is that Sheldon Adelson seems to be the person behind the scenes pulling the strings of this stunt. Adelson is a powerful and well-known casino magnate in the Las Vegas area. He owns the popular land-based Venetian Casino Resort and the Las Vegas Sands, among other brick-and-mortar casino businesses, which means he is constantly lobbying to bring down the online gambling industry because he believes that it is hurting his profits.

This petition to reinterpret the Wire Act is just one more in a long, failed string of attempts by Adelson to get the government to rule in his favor on this issue. In 2014, he managed to skirt around the established campaign contribution limits by getting his wife, daughter and three of his corporations to contribute the maximum amount of funds for a grand total of $55,000 in contributions to the current attorney general’s election campaign, presumably with the intent to persuade him to spearhead this endeavor.

The Content and the Opposition

It’s unclear right now whether or not the Trump administration will pay any heed to this latest attempt on a nationwide online gambling ban by certain factions of the Republican party. Similar attempts, such as the Restore America’s Wire Act (RAWA), in the past have gained little to no traction in the House or Senate. There are also those who think that if Trump’s administration gives this petition any weight, he will be breaking his campaign promise to eliminate crony capitalism and “drain the swamp.”

The letter contained most, if not all, of the usual fear-mongering talking points like underage gambling, addiction, terrorist money laundering and a lack of consumer protections, all of which have essentially no actual facts backing them up.

The following is an excerpt from this letter: “In the dark of night on Christmas 2011, the Obama administration overruled 50 years of practice and precedent when a Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion claimed the Wire Act applied only to sports betting, and not to other types of online gambling.”

Some might think that sounds a bit dramatic or ridiculous, and there are plenty of politicians on the other side of the issue who would agree. Democratic representative Dina Titus wrote her own letter to Pence and his team, in which she argues that the Republican letter contains inaccurate and misleading information. She cites the fact that there have been no reported incidents of minors playing poker online as an example, and goes on to say that the letter fails to distinguish between reputable, regulated online gambling and illegal offshore sites.

Several politicians are criticizing Laxalt for making such an obviously shady move, especially one that goes against his most important campaign values.

It remains to be seen whether or not anything will come of this letter, but it has the potential to set a dangerous precedent. The recent efforts to bring the GAME Act forward could indicate that the political climate surrounding gambling is warming up.

Nevada has been without any major professional sports franchises for many years. The NHL just recently launched a franchise in Sin City, and now the NFL’s Oakland Raiders have secured their move to Vegas. This move has intrigued analysts, fans and a third party—bettors—who will all be watching to see how this relocation plays out.

The Raiders are the third team in recent years to relocate. The St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers both moved to Los Angeles, leaving California with four football teams. While a move to Vegas has always been on the NFL’s to-do list, nothing had come about because of the gambling industry located there. The Raiders were finally able to circumvent the negative perception associated with sports betting and get their move approved by the league’s team owners. It was a resounding 31-1 vote, with the Miami Dolphins owner the only one to vote against the move.

The sports betting industry is perhaps the most interesting piece of this move. The NFL has never endorsed sports betting and Commissioner Roger Goodell has been stagnant on his views about it, but Nevada is one of four states that offers legal regulated sports betting. State residents are spoiled when it comes to sports gambling in Nevada, as residents can just use one of the physical sportsbook locations, whereas those living in states where sports betting is restricted have to use legal offshore sportsbooks. While other league commissioners have come out in support of a legalized sports betting industry, they have yet to start any franchises in the nation’s sports betting capital. The Raiders move marks a pivotal point for the industry, as it could lead to more teams opening and a loosening on the restrictions in place regarding sports gambling. The NFL’s argument against sports betting is also weaker with a league franchise located in Las Vegas

From a fan perspective, this move is beneficial in that it expands the market. In 2020, fans will be able to watch games in a brand new $2 billion stadium. The Oakland Raiders’ fans don’t see this move as beneficial, as they are losing their hometown team. The Raiders’ fan base is considered amongst the best, so perhaps fans will get over not having home games in their backyard, but it will still be bittersweet nonetheless. This is why the Miami Dolphins owner voted against the move, as he believes the team could still find a way to remain in Oakland—the fans at least deserve that much in his opinion. Commissioner Goodell disagrees and doesn’t believe the city could back a new stadium.

Part of the incentive to move the team to Vegas is that the league won’t be putting up a large amount of money for it. Nevada public funds will be taking the bulk of the financing for the stadium, while Bank of America will handle the other significant portion. The league will only put up $200 million, which isn’t much compared to the other sizeable investments.  This financial factor certainly supported the NFL’s decision to approve moving the Raiders to Las Vegas.

Whether the NBA, MLS and MLB follow suit and bring teams to Las Vegas remains to be seen, but the Las Vegas Raiders will be a top story for the next few years. Sports betting will also be in the spotlight as this move will stir conversations on how sports betting ties in, especially with teams now located in Nevada. This move is positive for the NFL, for sports betting advocates and for fans (except Oakland fans) and could prove very influential in the coming years.