Opinions about the DOJ’s Wire Act Interpretation

Last week, gamblers from the United States received a great Christmas gift when the Department of Justice released their interpretation about the Wire Act but, as we mentioned in our previous article, the Federal Wire Act of 1961 needs to be reviewed and changed for the good of online gambling and many others feel the same way… Check out what other experts are saying.

Professional Opinions

Poker Player Alliance
John Pappas, PPA Executive Director, said: “This is a much needed clarification of an antiquated and often confusing law. For years, legal scholars and even the courts have debated whether the Wire Act applies to non-sporting activity. However, it is our hope that our federal policymakers see this as an incentive to move quickly to enact federal licensing and regulation before various states produce a mix of individual state schemes that may not be the best model to serve consumers.”

Alfonse D’Amato, Poker Player Alliance Chairman and former U.S. Senator, said: “State by state licensing and regulation could result in a Balkanized online poker world where players across the nation would be limited in their choices of where and against whom they could play. This could potentially reduce the number of total players, reducing revenues state lawmakers project from this activity. At the same time, it would deter entrepreneurs from entering the online poker market, as there would essentially be 50 different sets of laws and rules to which they would have to adhere.”

American Gaming Association

“The Department of Justice’s interpretation regarding the scope of the federal Wire Act validates the urgent need for federal legislation to curb what will now be a proliferation of domestic and foreign unlicensed and unregulated gaming websites without consistent regulatory standards and safeguards against fraud, underage gambling and money laundering.”

“Federal legislation that protects states’ rights can establish uniform safeguards to protect US consumers, keep children from gambling on the Internet and provide the tools law enforcement needs to shut down illegal Internet gambling operators.”

“Federal guidelines also would prevent fraud and money laundering, address problem gambling and ensure players aren’t being cheated. These federally-mandated protections are vital no matter the interpretation of the Wire Act and they must be enacted in order to avoid a patchwork quilt of state and tribal rules and regulations that would prove confusing for customers and difficult for law enforcement to manage.”

Poker Sites

The biggest poker sites like Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, Titan Poker, William Hill Poker Club, and many others haven’t said anything about this new interpretation of the Wire Act and it is probably because they are following the same line as the Poker Player Alliance and American Gaming Association to continue pressing for federally regulated gaming.

As far as we know the only Poker Room that is taking action is 888 Poker as they applied for a Nevada gaming license. So poker players can expect great news in the coming months!