Remember earlier this year when we said that a new version of RAWA may show up in time for Lame Duck?

The Poker Players Alliance has now reported that Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton has filed a new anti-iGaming bill and while there are few details at this point, it appears that we're in for another Lame Duck battle regarding regulated online poker.

Arkansas Senator Files S.3376

Last Wednesday, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton filed S.3376, a bill whose purpose is to "ensure the integrity of laws enacted to prevent the use of financial instruments for funding or operating online casinos are not undermined by legal opinions not carrying the force of law issued by Federal Government lawyers."

In essence, the bill is the latest attempt to undermine a memo released by the Department of Justice in 2011 that states that the Federal Wire Act only applies to sports betting.

Such a reversal would reestablish a previously held opinion that the Wire Act prohibits online gambling transactions between states over the internet.

What this would mean is that the Delaware-Nevada online poker network would instantly become illegal. Chances are that unless a carveout is included, the regulated iGaming market would become effectively illegal.

It certainly would stop other states from examining the matter in the future and would put us back at the mercy of waiting for a Federal iPoker bill that doesn't appear to be coming.

Sen. Cotton has long been an opponent of iGaming and was a co-sponsor of previous RAWA attempts. This latest bill is seen as a way to gain favor with Sheldon Adelson and reward him for campaign contributions in the past.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and we're presently waiting to see what the full version looks like.

Does This Bill Have a Chance?

If we were in a major election cycle, odds are this would just be the latest in a long line of RAWA failures. However, anyone that knows the history of the UIGEA knows that we cannot overlook Lame Duck shenanigans.

If this measure is somehow placed on some type of "must-pass" legislation like the SAFE Port Act in 2006, there's a solid shot that the regulated iGaming market is in jeopardy.

For those of you so inclined, now is the time to take a stance to support online poker. Head over to theppa.org today to see what you can do and whom you can contact regarding this matter.

Tell your lawmakers not to support S.3376 and give the states the freedom to choose whether to regulate online poker and iGaming.