The weather isn’t the only thing heating up in D.C. this summer. The battle over state-based online gambling has reached a fever pitch. Until last week, Congress had been seemingly quiet on the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA; H.R. 707), the bill to ban Internet gambling. But then Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a companion bill to RAWA (S. 1668). Behind closed doors, the push for Congress to vote on the bill before adjourning for summer recess has intensified and the tactics become more extreme. And as usual, Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson, one of RAWA’s…

Gambling 911 – Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn insists he did not call US President Barack Obama an “a**hole” during a heated argument last month while having dinner with Hollywood actor George Clooney. Wynn accused Clooney, who stormed out of the Las Vegas restaurant following the alleged remarks, as having been “a little into the tequila”.  He also branded the Ocean’s Eleven star as “mollycoddled”. Clooney quickly responded to Wynn’s remarks via People.com: “I will not let his version of the truth go unchallenged. He now says he didn’t call the president an ‘a******.’ That is false. He bellowed…

BBC – Gambling tycoon James Packer and David Gyngell, who heads the Nine Entertainment Group, were seen fighting at Bondi Beach on Sunday. It is not clear what caused the brawl between the two, who are good friends. The incident has dominated the Australian media, with photos reportedly sold for a six-figure sum. “Eastern Suburbs Local Area Command has commenced an investigation into an incident that occurred about 14:00 Sunday… at Bondi Beach,” a police statement said. “Police have not yet received an official complaint but have appealed to anyone who witnessed, or has vision or images of the incident.”…