The National Association of Convenience Stores will back a major public affairs campaign aimed at encouraging Congress and association members to support a proposed online gaming ban. The convenience store industry is most worried about the possibility of lottery tickets being sold across state lines over the Internet. Lyle Beckwith, NACS senior vice president of government relations, wrote a draft letter shared with PI:

“As a member of the convenience store industry I’m most concerned with the impact that the DOJ decision has had on the sale of lottery products. Lottery tickets should not be sold interstate on the Internet. Those sales risk letting kids buy them, letting people gamble in states that don’t want gambling, and pulling money and sales out of some states into others. … If Congress does not act to pass this legislation, states will open the floodgates to Internet gambling and it will become difficult or impossible to turn it back.”

The push to pass an online gaming ban through Congress — with a bill called Restoration of America’s Wire Act — is a top priority for Republican megadonor and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who has vowed to use his considerable fortune to muscle the legislation through. He’s opposed by a number of fellow casino owners and operators who see online gaming as a major new source of revenue. The trade group American Gaming Association dropped for a pro-online gaming measure last month, citing major disagreements between members. A draft letter by the NACS is here: http://bit.ly/1n3FY1k