This Week in Gambling

The US Department of Justice recently changed their opinion on the Federal Wire Act. And now, the New Hampshire Lottery is Suing the DOJ. The Lottery filed suit in federal court in an attempt to stop the agency from enforcing its new opinion about the Wire Act against lotteries. Governor Chris Sununu announced in a press release that “The opinion issued by DOJ puts millions of dollars of funding at risk, and we have a responsibility to stand up for our students.” The technology and service provider of the lottery has also filed suit. The complaint in the US District…

A government committee has approved a South Dakota sports betting bill by a narrow 5-4 margin. The bill, Senate Joint Resolution 2, goes next to the Senate floor and gaming operators in the state are anxiously watching to see how the legislative piece progresses. Even if it is approved by legislative officials, there is reportedly a huge roadblock ahead and it is positioned at the last stop any gambling legislation has to make before becoming law. Unfortunately for South Dakotans, they elected a governor, Kristi Noem who is opposed to any gambling expansion in the state. Her stance isn’t too…

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…

State legislators are to hold hearings this week on a bill that could legalize Washington State sports betting after decades of it being banned. House Bill 1975, sponsored by Majority Caucus Chair Eric Pettigrew (D) and seven others, calls for professional and college sports wagering to be legalized within tribal gaming facilities. The bill, introduced last Friday, also calls for the legalization of online sports gaming within those same tribal facilities — which would represent a significant shift for the nation’s only state where any form of internet gambling is currently a Class C felony. At least one regulator predicts…

Nothing gets your heart racing like best slot games, and online slots aren’t like the old one-armed bandits your grandparents used to spin. You don’t just pull a lever and hope for a matching row of cherries, bars or bells. Online slots are more like video games, designed with incredible graphics, immersive story lines and (perhaps best of all) awesome characters. Some of these slot machine characters are so awesome, they’ve earned the status of heroes in the online gaming world. Take Finn for example. The star of NetEnt’s Finn and the Swirly Spin, this charming leprechaun shot to fame…

It’s been several weeks since the DOJ Wire Act opinion changed and threatened online gambling, poker and sports betting. Suspicion was that casino mogul (and Republican mega-donor) Sheldon Adelson had a lot to do with the Justice Department decision… and now we know for sure! Plus, now that the connections between Adelson and the DOJ have come to light, state Attorney Generals from New Jersey and Pennsylvania are starting to take action.   As the gaming and legal worlds have had time to absorb the new opinion on the Wire Act issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel…