NJ Sues DOJ Over Delayed Wire Act FOIA Request

NJ Sues DOJ Over Delayed Wire Act FOIA Request Thumbnail

In January, the Wall Street Journal reported that Sheldon Adelson was the main influence behind the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel’s (OLC) new opinion on the Wire Act. The new opinion said that the Wire Act makes all interstate online gambling illegal, reversing a 2011 opinion that said only online sports betting… Read more »

FeaturedPoker Legislation

DoJ Continues Defense of Awful Wire Act Opinion

DoJ Continues Defense of Awful Wire Act Opinion Thumbnail

The U.S. Department of Justice is starting to show its cards in defense of the lawsuit brought by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission (NHLC) over the DoJ’s revised opinion on the Wire Act and to my non-lawyer eyes, the Department’s hand looks weak. That doesn’t mean that hand won’t win, though. To review, the DoJ’s… Read more »

Poker Legislation

Here Comes Michigan

Here Comes Michigan Thumbnail

Last year, Michigan lawmakers passed a trio of bills that would have legalized online gambling in the state, but Governor Rick Snyder vetoed them on his way out the door. Early on in the new legislative year, another bill has been introduced and is already starting to roll. 2018 Bill Couldn’t Get Past the Governor… Read more »

Poker Legislation

Wire Act Compliance Window Extended by DoJ

Wire Act Compliance Window Extended by DoJ Thumbnail

The United States Department of Justice has decided to extend the grace period during which online gaming operators will not be prosecuted for violations of the Wire Act under the Office of Legal Counsel’s (OLC) recent re-interpretation. The directive was set forth by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein via a memo to the director of… Read more »

Poker Legislation

Online Poker Bill Introduced in New York Assembly

Online Poker Bill Introduced in New York Assembly Thumbnail

You can’t fault New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow for a lack of persistence. The biggest champion of online poker in that chamber of the state legislature has once again introduced a bill to legalize internet poker in the Empire State. Online poker has had some success in Albany, though it has obviously never been… Read more »

Poker Legislation

West Virginia Online Gambling Bill Introduced

West Virginia Online Gambling Bill Introduced Thumbnail

Perhaps the new Wire Act opinion from the Department of Justice won’t slow down online gambling, after all. A bill was recently introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates that would legalize and regulate online gambling in the state. The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act (H 2934) could end up permitting virtually any… Read more »

Poker Legislation

Acting Attorney General Tells Congress He Was Not Involved in Wire Act Opinion

Acting Attorney General Tells Congress He Was Not Involved in Wire Act Opinion Thumbnail

During a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the special counsel investigation last week, Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was surprisingly asked a question about his involvement in January’s new opinion on the Wire Act issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Whitaker denied any involvement. The opinion, as has… Read more »

FeaturedPoker Legislation

Responses to Reversal of DOJ Online Gaming Decision: “Unfortunate,” Planning for Next Steps

Responses to Reversal of DOJ Online Gaming Decision: “Unfortunate,” Planning for Next Steps Thumbnail

Since the U. S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a reversal last Monday of the 2011 decision by the Obama Administration’s decision regarding online sports betting, gaming and poker, there have been a flurry of opinions on the issue. Some entities have called the new opinion “unfortunate,” while other organizations are tempering… Read more »

FeaturedPoker Legislation

DoJ Reverses 2011 OLC Wire Act Opinion, Decides Wire Act Applies to All Interstate Online Gambling

DoJ Reverses 2011 OLC Wire Act Opinion, Decides Wire Act Applies to All Interstate Online Gambling Thumbnail

Around Christmas of 2011, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued an opinion on the Wire Act, saying that it online made interstate online sports betting illegal, not all interstate online gambling. This paved the way for states to begin legalizing online gambling and so far, four – Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey,… Read more »

FeaturedPoker Legislation

Online Poker Bill Introduced in New York Senate

Online Poker Bill Introduced in New York Senate Thumbnail

Online poker is once again on the table in the New York state legislature, as a bill has been introduced that would legalize and regulate the pastime. Senate Bill 18, sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo (D – 15th District), would only legalize online poker, not online casino games, which have been more profitable in other… Read more »

Poker Legislation