Justice Department: Online Gambling Illegal Under Wire Act

Is online gambling illegal in America now? The U.S. Department of Justice has done an a bout-face on their opinion on the 1961 Federal Wire Act. Their decision was in no small part a result of the millions of dollars in donations to certain congressmen from Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire owner of the largest gambling company in America, Sands Corporation. Reversing their decision from 2011, the DOJ now states that the 50 year old legislation makes all online gambling illegal, including casino games and poker. Their plan is to begin enforcing their new interpretation of the law within 90 days….

Online Gambling Illegal Again… Sorta… Maybe…

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…