New Jersey Sues Justice Department – The State of New Jersey has joined New Hampshire as one of the states to sue the Justice Department over their recent reversal of opinion on the Federal Wire Act. New Jersey had demanded documentation related to their revised interpretation of the act, and the DOJ failed to respond. The Department of Justice reversed its 2011 Wire Act this past January, ruling the law’s prohibition applies to all forms of gambling and not just sports betting. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and his Pennsylvania counterpart Josh Shapiro hit out at the decision, demanding…

Nearly 18 months after the governor signed the enabling legislation, Pennsylvania online gambling finally has a launch date that’s  just 90 days away. An announcement from Gaming Control Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole now says that the “go-live period” for online gaming will begin July 15, 2019. O’Toole’s timeline falls in line with reporting from Play Pennsylvania, which has been projecting a midyear launch for several months. Sources also expect the first PA online sports books to go live in the coming weeks — even prior to online poker sites. If things go smoothly over the next three months, the…

The road on the Wire Act lawsuit began on Thursday, as arguments were heard regarding the Department of Justice opinion on the Wire Act. In what came as a surprise to no one, the DOJ tried unsuccessfully to have the lawsuit dismissed during arguments. Most experts saw this coming after a memo issued earlier in the week by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. He tried to put the kibosh on the New Hampshire Lottery lawsuit by stating the new opinion of the Wire Act did not include state lotteries. Judge Paul Barbadoro, who was overseeing Thursday’s arguments, did not agree…

The Department of Justice now considers online gambling and sports betting between the states illegal. However, with all the sports leagues, gambling companies and a growing number of state opposing them, they may have wandered into a legal minefield! We also discuss the upcoming Betting on Sports America conference! This week’s special offer is for the Lady Hammer Casino.

West Virginia online gambling has officially become law, thanks to the inaction of the governor. The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act cruised through the House in February, and the Senate then approved and made amendments to the bill. The House accepted those changes and sent the bill to the desk of Governor Jim Justice. The state legislature passed the bill in full the day before it adjourned on March 9, giving the Governor 15 days to sign or veto the act. Now that the veto deadline has passed, the bill has become law. As was the case for West…

The outrage following the DOJ online gambling reversal on the Wire Act was swift and wide-reaching. Many wondered how it would be possible for the top law enforcement department in the country to suddenly decide to change course on a topic so sensitive, coincidentally after sports gambling became legal across the U.S. The immediate reaction, which was based on certain assumptions and intuitive deductions, was that someone in the gambling industry—perhaps someone like outspoken online gambling opponent Sheldon Adelson—forced the DOJ to reverse its stance. New Hampshire, through the New Hampshire Lottery, has already announced that it is suing “the…