“You need to have a legislative champion in each state. It's one thing if somebody representing a company comes to the state and talks to lawmakers. That's great. But you need to have a lawmaker actively on the ground saying, “I want this done, and here's why,” and making the arguments on your behalf. You have to have that. And if you don't have that legislative champion, it makes it very hard to move legislation.”
~ Shawn Fluharty ~
In this episode of the Talking Shop Podcast, I’m joined (for the second time) by Shawn Fluharty, NCLGS President, West Virginia House Minority Whip, and Head of Government Affairs at Play’n GO.
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In his return to the Talking Shop Podcast (you can listen to his first appearance here), Shawn and I discussed many topics, ranging from the truth behind the “all politics is local” (at least at the state level) mantra to what states have a chance to pass legislation in the coming years. We also discussed some of the more contentious policies from NCLGS’s model iGaming Legislation draft (like credit card prohibitions) and why those policies can make the difference between a bill passing and failing.
This was an insightful conversation that examined the legislative process and why lawmakers dismiss so many “logical” arguments. As Shawn said, “Good policy doesn’t always equal good politics.”
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