27:
266:
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In 2018, the OLC reversed its position again, with an opinion declaring that the Wire Act's prohibitions are "not uniformly limited to gambling on sporting events or contests." The decision was published on
January 15, 2019, with a promise to delay enforcement of the new opinion for 90 days to "give
195:
facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or
348:
filed a lawsuit to declare the 2018 opinion unlawful, seeking to protect itself from possible prosecution for its online lottery operations outside of the First
Circuit. In September 2022, the Rhode Island District Court ruled in IGT's favor, stating that IGT could not be prosecuted under the Wire
281:; Chief of the Legislation and Special Projects Section of the Criminal Division in the Department of Justice, Harold D. Koffsky; Deputy Chief of the Legislation and Special Projects Section of the Criminal Division, Edward T. Joyce; Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jerry Adlerman.
218:
It is quite evident that modern, organized, commercial gambling operations are so completely intertwined with the Nation's communications systems that denial of their use to the gambling fraternity would be a mortal blow to their operations
317:
ruled in 2002 that the Wire Act prohibition on the transmission of wagers applies only to sports betting and not other types of online gambling. Lower courts in other circuits had reached the opposite conclusion.
310:(OLC) published a formal opinion on the scope of the Act concluding, "interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a 'sporting event or contest' fall outside the reach of the Wire Act."
303:
In a 2002 letter to Nevada state officials, the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) stated its opinion that the Wire Act "prohibits gambling over the Internet, including casino-style gambling."
787:
818:
579:"Whether Proposals by Illinois and New York State to Use the Internet and Out-of-State Transaction Processors to Sell Lottery Tickets to In-State Adults Violate the Wire Act"
523:"Whether Proposals by Illinois and New York State to Use the Internet and Out-of-State Transaction Processors to Sell Lottery Tickets to In-State Adults Violate the Wire Act"
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filed suit in
February 2019 seeking to vacate the OLC's new opinion, which the Commission claimed would reduce its annual profits by millions of dollars. New Hampshire Gov.
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Legal opinions have varied as to whether the Wire Act applies only to sports betting, or applies to all forms of gambling, such as lotteries and casino games.
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ruled in the
Commission's favor, stating that the Wire Act "is limited to sports gambling", but declined to vacate the 2018 OLC opinion. The
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An Act to amend chapter 50 of title 18, United States Code, with respect to the transmission of bets, wagers, and related information.
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Act anywhere in the country, as the act applies only to bets placed on "sporting event or contest" and not other forms of gambling.
898:
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899:"Not Undertaking the Almost-Impossible Task: The 1961 Wire Act's Development, Initial Applications, and Ultimate Purpose"
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said the state wasn't interested in negotiating an out-of-court settlement, "we're looking to win." District Court Judge
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to pass legislation which would make interstate gambling illegal. Kennedy's goal of the legislation was to help the
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businesses that relied on the 2011 OLC opinion time to bring their operations into compliance with federal law."
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439:"Interstate and Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises Act - P.L. 87-228"
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736:"NH will sue to keep $ 5M/year in lottery profits at stake in Trump online gambling crackdown"
819:"Federal Court Holds That DOJ Cannot Prosecute Company for Non-Sports Betting Under Wire Act"
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762:"New Hampshire Governor Not Interested In Settling Lottery Lawsuit | GamblingCompliance"
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Several legal opinions and rulings have discussed whether forms of gambling other than
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421:"Bill signings – S. 1653, S. 1656, S. 1657, Interstate Anti-Crime Acts, 11:00AM"
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The 2011 opinion noted that "the sparse case law on this issue is divided". The
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wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be
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257:. One of the eight bills given to Congress was Senate Bill 1656—The Wire Act.
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Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a
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President
Kennedy signing anti-crime bills in 1961. Left to Right: Senator
844:"The First Circuit Rules that the Wire Act Applies to Sports Betting Only"
460:"Interstate Transportation of Wagering Paraphernalia Act - P.L. 87-218"
104:
295:
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of New York; Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
635:"Reconsidering Whether the Wire Act Applies to Non-Sports Gambling"
551:"In RE: Mastercard International Inc. Internet Gambling Litigation"
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under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
788:"NH Lottery Commission wins its case over online lottery sales"
608:"New DOJ opinion expands Wire Act outside of sports betting"
710:"Justice Department Sued for Targeting Online Lotto Sales"
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businesses in the United States. It begins with the text:
657:"Justice Department Says All Online Gambling Is Illegal"
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discussing how the Wire Act would affect organized crime
637:. United States Department of Justice. November 2, 2018
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Applicability to gambling other than sports betting
285:The Interstate Anti-Crime Acts were signed by the
306:In 2011, the DOJ reversed its position, when the
955:United States federal communications legislation
936:
869:"IGT is suing the US Department of Justice Laws"
511:. September 1, 2002 – via Newspapers.com.
425:John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
183:prohibiting the operation of certain types of
505:"U.S.: Net casino bets violate federal laws"
486:. Nevada Gaming Commission. August 29, 2002
965:United States federal gambling legislation
960:United States federal criminal legislation
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120:18 U.S.C.: Crimes and Criminal Procedure
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341:affirmed the decision in January 2021.
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586:United States Department of Justice
530:United States Department of Justice
315:U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
287:35th President of the United States
13:
897:Schwartz, David (September 2010).
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708:Huffman, Zack (15 February 2019).
606:Sykes, Michael (15 January 2019).
469:. U.S. Government Printing Office.
448:. U.S. Government Printing Office.
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467:75 Stat. 492-2 ~ Senate Bill 1657
446:75 Stat. 498-2 ~ Senate Bill 1653
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327:New Hampshire Lottery Commission
247:United States Justice Department
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588:. September 20, 2011. p. 3
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359:Gambling in the United States
346:International Game Technology
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208:fall within the Act's scope.
152:in the Senate as S. 1656
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950:87th United States Congress
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243:87th United States Congress
63:87th United States Congress
53:Interstate Wire Act of 1961
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37:Interstate Anti-Crime Act
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915:10.1089/glre.2010.14708
714:Courthouse News Service
410:Schwartz (2010), p. 537
401:Schwartz (2010), p. 553
392:Schwartz (2010), p. 535
308:Office of Legal Counsel
292:on September 13, 1961.
126:U.S.C. sections amended
931:at Gambling-law-us.com
766:gamblingcompliance.com
509:Press of Atlantic City
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817:Interactive, Myriad.
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235:U.S. Attorney General
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162:on September 13, 1961
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786:Cousineau, Michael.
16:Federal gambling law
559:. November 20, 2002
277:; Attorney General
173:Interstate Wire Act
141:Legislative history
21:
823:Snell & Wilmer
734:Landrigan, Kevin.
344:In November 2021,
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193:wire communication
72:September 13, 1961
34:Other short titles
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682:Rosenstein, Rod.
279:Robert F. Kennedy
241:suggested to the
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111:Codification
771:26 February
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719:26 February
688:Justice.gov
382:§ 1084
255:trafficking
939:Categories
891:References
828:2023-09-14
693:21 January
668:2019-01-15
641:2023-09-16
619:15 January
592:2023-09-16
536:2023-09-16
490:2023-09-16
212:Background
150:Introduced
82:Public law
42:Long title
130:18 U.S.C.
77:Citations
69:Effective
50:Nicknames
929:Wire Act
878:July 28,
563:June 29,
353:See also
99:75
853:5 April
848:Stinson
662:Fortune
556:FindLaw
261:Signing
185:betting
179:, is a
797:7 June
380:
134:ch. 50
103:
86:87-216
613:Axios
582:(PDF)
526:(PDF)
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365:Notes
253:from
249:stop
198:fined
132:
101:Stat.
880:2022
855:2022
799:2019
773:2019
747:2019
721:2019
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565:2012
325:The
171:The
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224:—
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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