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 The Washington Post published an editorial article this week which exposed the secrecy and machinations involved in passing the Washington DC online gambling bill.
The article stated that the bill was slipped into the supplemental budget without consulting then mayor Adrian M. Fenty, holding a public hearing, public debate, or even a committee revue. It is said that the amendment was included at the initiative of independent councilor Michael A. Brown who did not disclose that he was employed by the legal firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge (EAPD), who does business with casino owners, financers involved In online gambling activities, casino gaming equipment, and other companies that would potentially benefit from legalized online gambling in Washington DC, when he drafted the amendment.
EAPD has since informed Washington Post that they maintain a strict boundary between their employees' work for the firm and their employees' outside activities and have claimed that they were unaware of Brown's intent to sponsor legislation legalizing online gaming in the District in 2010. Brown has left EAPD and now works for the lobbying and consulting firm Madison Group, where he lobbies on behalf of clients in Congress and the White House. Brown maintains that there was no conflict of interest involved in the drafting of the bill because no company represented by EAPD was interested in doing business in Washington DC.
It is unclear at this time, what ramifications if any will results from the report. Worst case scenario it could bring the implementation of online gambling in the district to a grinding halt.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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