A congressional amendment has been put forth that would threaten any online gambling Wire Act enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice. The proposed amendment would attach to a federal bill that determines funding for the DOJ, and would block any funds from being used to enforce its revised opinion on the 1961 Federal Wire Act. Should the amendment be accepted, the Justice Department will not be permitted to use any money to enforce the opinion of their Office of Legal Counsel’s belief that the Wire Act applies to all forms of gambling and not just sports betting. The amendment…

Lawmakers have given the green light to Maine sports betting legislation. The state Senate voted 19-15 while the House approved the bill unanimously which would allow residents over the age of 21 bet on professional and college sports competitions. Bets could be placed either at physical locations – such as existing casinos or off-track betting parlors – or online via the mobile apps that account for the majority of sports gambling nationwide. The bill faces additional procedural votes in both the House and Senate. But if the measure is enacted into law, Maine would join roughly a dozen states that…

The New York mobile sports betting bill has been one of the longest-debating in New York state. But after a decisive vote in the Senate on June 17, the bill now heads to the state Assembly. This bill was introduced at the beginning of 2019, around the same time the latest DOJ Opinion on the Wire Act dropped. His latest push has been awarded with success, although the senator had to collaborate with Democratic senators to tweak the bill in a way that would make it acceptable. With this new progress emboldening proponents of spots betting in the Empire State,…

The long wait for Pennsylvania Internet Gambling is almost over. But could the industry be doomed before it ever launches? When Pennsylvania passed its gambling expansion bill in 2017, the sky was the limit to its potential. As one of the most populous states in America, Pennsylvania was suddenly the largest state with legalized sports betting as well as online casinos and poker. With such hype, however, comes ample responsibility. Responsibility not to embrace the industry, not to succeed, but simply to get it right. The state  has faced a steep hill to climb. Lawmakers instituted outrageous tax rates and…

With mobile gambling apps increasing in popularity, gamblers spend much more time playing online casino games on their devices. Now, there has been a call in the gaming community for software developers to offer ways for gamblers to interact socially while playing games. Several years ago players were given the opportunity to communicate with one another while sitting in bingo lounges. This kind of technology was not immediately made available for online casino games because no one had yet envisioned that players would want to interact among themselves. That changed several years back when software developers like Evolution Gaming began…

Speaking at the East Coast Gaming Congress in New Jersey, a panel of gambling and tech executives recently theorized that 90% of US sports betting will be done over mobile phones and the internet somewhere between the next five to 10 years. Since winning a U.S. Supreme Court case last year, New Jersey has taken in nearly $3 billion in sports bets with about 80% of those placed online. That is only expected to rise over the next decade. Moti Malul, CEO of NeoGames, a global provider of internet lottery and gambling technology, predicted “90-plus percent” of all U.S. sports…