Photo by dcJohnThese days, working for the federal government doesn’t seem as safe a bet as it once did. Yet come Thursday, you may be able to switch one profession for another.
Last December, the D.C. Council passed a proposal in the approved budget that allows the D.C. Lottery to offer online “games of skill and games of chance” — that includes online poker. Of course, only those within the district’s limits will be allowed to play. City officials say that this coming Thursday marks the last day for Congress to raise objections and impose its rule over city affairs. Of course, Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah has already chimed in when the budget first passed, saying he was “absolutely, totally opposed” to the idea.
This would make D.C. the first instance of “intrastate” gambling — bucking a 2006 federal law that specifically bans the financial transactions and wire transfers required to fund an online gambling account. Hence the reason for all the websites operated out of the (insert name) Islands. According to the Wall Street Journal, “the lottery hopes to have the poker system operating in a test run available in certain select spots, such as hotels, by the end of the year.” Save from turning the district into a seedy gambling empire, the real money generator for the city will be those gambling in their pajamas at home, an estimated $13 million over three years. Until then, Congress may have a few other things on their minds this week.
