The DOJ’s new Wire Act opinion has created a cloud of uncertainty over the US gambling industry. The highly controversial opinion overturns one from 2011 which limited the scope of the Wire Act to sports betting. Under the new interpretation, the 1961 federal law extends to all forms of online gambling. According to one of the most distinguished gaming lawyers in the world, the new opinion is highly flawed, and any attempt at strict enforcement would dismantle not only the online gambling industries in several states, but possibly state lotteries and the horse racing industry. Online Poker Report had the…

Is online gambling illegal even in states where it’s regulated? I guess we’ll see… as the Department of Justice has issued a replacement for its 2011 opinion which said that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting. The new opinion now makes the Wire Act applicable to any form of gambling that crosses state lines, including online gambling and online lottery. Several states have legalized online gambling in the wake of the 2011 opinion, including New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Sports betting and online sports gambling have also cropped up in many states in the past year in…

Interstate Sports Betting? Betting on sporting events across state lines? The Supreme Court’s sports betting decision in Murphy v. NCAA dramatically altered the landscape for sports betting in the United States by declaring that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is unconstitutional. As a result of this decision, States are now free to legalize sports betting without any federal interference. With the demise of PASPA, the Wire Act looms as the most important federal law affecting the future of sports betting. In short, the Wire Act prohibits any person or entity engaged in the business of sports betting…

The new year has brought America yet another attempt to ban online gambling in the country. Four US Congressmen have sent a letter to Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice. They are again asking for a reversal of the DOJ’s opinion that the 1961 Federal Wire Act does not apply to online gambling. This week’s special comes from PokerStars Casino.

ESPN – Legislation has been introduced in Congress to amend the 1961 Federal Wire Act to ban all forms of interstate wagering except horse racing. The bill, named the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (H.R. 4301), was introduced by Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) (S. 2159). The legislation would amend the Federal Wire Act, the 1961 federal law that prohibits interstate wagering, to prohibit interstate Internet gaming. The bill is a response to the Department of Justice’s change in its previous interpretation of what the Wire Act prohibits, according to a memorandum from the American Horse…