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2020 Presidential Elections: Who’s the Best Candidate for the Online Gambling Industry?

Former Vice President and Democratic Primary candidate, Joe Biden is starting to come alive in the polls. He is sitting as high as 32 percent as recently as December 30th polls from the Morning Consult, YouGov, Ipsos, and McLaughlin & Associates.

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We can’t count Elizbeth Warren out, because she has the most secondary support of any candidate. In other words, when other top Democrats start to drop out of the race, their voters are more than likely to switch over to Warren’s camp, and she could very well catch Joe Biden and even surpass him in the polls. The best online sportsbooks now have Joe Biden as the clear favorite to become the Democratic Nominee for the 2020 Election. He has taken the edge at +200 (or two to one odds) with Bernie Sanders now ahead of Elizabeth Warren at +400. EW is now at +500 and Pete Buttigieg is right behind at +600.

But who would benefit the online gaming community the most as POTUS?

Joe Biden recently stated that he would not hinder the growth of online gaming/gambling. He even shook his head at how the Wire Act was handled. Unlike how the Trump administration has handled online gambling, by adding excessive restrictions, Biden says that he does not see this as necessary. These statements came about at a recent address to Las Vegas Union Workers.

What happened with the Wire Act?

Back towards the end of 2018, ad Jeff Sessions-led USDOJ because to backpaddle on the Wire Act. Essentially, they put state-regulated iGaming (online gambling) in serious jeopardy.

“I would reverse the White House opinion that was then reversed and overruled by the court. The court is correct. That should be the prevailing position.” – Joe Biden

At the time that these statements were made by Biden, there were already three fully operating states other than Nevada: New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. By now the list has grown and there a more that have full-scale online gambling – and even more that have taken action to legislate for the legalization of sports betting as well as iGaming such as online poker. So, the fact that the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to restrict gambling to just Nevada, in essence, giving that state the monopoly, there has been a landslide of state bills being presented and passed all across the US. But, as we’ve seen with other legislation and acts, such as Obama Care, things put in place that seem stable, can be dismantled. So, is Biden the guy to have in place for those who make their livelihood from online gambling, sports betting, and poker?

At a glance, it seems to be the case.

Elizbeth Warren has stated that she does not believe it necessary to further regulate online gaming, however, she would not state her opinion on the Wire Act and neither was for or against how the DOJ has been threatening state-sanctioned iGaming. We have to assume that she would be no friend to the industry, as she compared it to the Payday Loan industry, stating that it made her uneasy. More statements by EW, “Site-based gambling as a part of the vacation, as part of the destination, is a very different thing from online, and getting the appropriate restrictions in place so that children don’t have access, so that people who have problems with gambling don’t have access, are challenges that haven’t yet been addressed.” She also stated, “Online can completely undercut every protection that the state puts in place and that’s my concern.”

As for Bernie, he hasn’t voiced his opinion on iGaming recently, but last time around he criticized Atlantic City casino operations. Then he seems to hem and haw and goes back and forth when it comes to legislation. He has historically, both supported and opposed bills that hamper online gambling. He has also stated, “My mind is not yet made up on the issue.” Well, Bern … this issue has been around three decades, so why don’t you have a solid opinion?  It seems that Sanders will deal with iGaming in whatever manner is best suited to him and his campaign at that specific point in time, which is risky of the iGaming industry. The only democratic candidate with a real chance at winning to openly support online gaming is Joe Biden. Yeah, he’s kind of a greasy car salesman type, but maybe he is exactly the carlot-like hero that online gaming needs.