In Washington, D.C., a new lobbying group dedicated to advancing the cause of Internet-based gambling in the U.S has opened up shop.

The lobbying group comprised of 17 firms, named, I-Development and Economic Association (iDEA), identifies as “an association seeking to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the United States through advocacy and education,” according to the Gambling Insider report.

The group’s 17 company’s including: Pala Interactive, Amaya, Inc, Paddy Power Betfair, Catena Media; NetENT, GVC Holdings, Resorts Interactive, Vantiv Gaming Solutions, NYX, Golden Nugget, Sightline Payments, Paysafe, Continent 8 Technologies, Tropicana Entertainment, eZugi, Ifrah Law, and Gamesys, represent various areas of the online gambling industry.

iDEA will reportedly lobby federal legislators and those with political influence on the benefits of online gambling. To fuel a good deal of its research, iDEA has drawn upon the positive impact regulated online gambling has had on the iGaming market in New Jersey, according to the report.

Such research, including that published on iDEA’s website, points to the strong growth the Garden State has experienced since iGaming’s inception, which reportedly catapulted it past Nevada and Delaware, the other two states where iGaming services have been legalized so far, in terms of gaming revenue, player counts, and tax revenue.

Reported at the time by iGaming Business, Nevada and Delaware signed a liquidity sharing deal in 2014 for online poker activities aimed at boosting internet gaming activity in their respective states. New Jersey is currently home to several online poker networks, including WSOP.com / 888.com, Party / Borgata, and PokerStars NJ and is the largest of the three regulated markets in the U.S.

Data analyzed by PlayNJ.com analysts recently shows the certain impact of the regulated online gambling industry in New Jersey as May marked the third consecutive month that New Jersey eclipsed $20 million in gross revenue. More than $100 million in total tax revenue has been generated by New Jersey’s online casinos. Gambling Insider reports that in 2016, the iGaming industry generated $34.5 million in gaming taxes for the state; $4.9 million of which was generated locally, reflecting an increase of 32 percent over 2015.

iDEA is a way of addressing what the industry reportedly views as inactivity by the current American Gaming Association (AGA), with its sights set at replacing the AGA as the number one advocacy body for online gambling in the United States, according to Gambling Insider.

Currently, four states, including Pennsylvania, New York, and California, have active legislation that if successful would allow them to offer legal and regulated U.S. online poker and casino games.

In the final day of the legislature’s session in May, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that would legalize both online gambling and daily fantasy sports, however, the legislation must still make it through the House.