By Wayne Parry, Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A close political ally of President Trump is urging him and Congress not to ban internet gambling in the United States.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a fellow Republican, signed a bill Friday calling on Trump, a former Atlantic City casino owner, and Congress not to enact a nationwide ban on internet gambling.
Online bets have helped revive Atlantic City’s struggling casino industry, which has seen five of its 12 casinos go out of business in the last three years.
Last year, backed by money won from gamblers online, Atlantic City’s casinos posted their first revenue increase in a decade.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he wants to take a second look at a Justice Department ruling authorizing internet gambling, and several measures have been proposed but not enacted.
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