{"id":20896,"date":"2019-01-24T16:30:11","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T17:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/?p=20896"},"modified":"2019-01-25T17:56:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T17:56:11","slug":"the-week-after-the-doj-wire-act-opinion-reversal-chaos-still-reigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/the-week-after-the-doj-wire-act-opinion-reversal-chaos-still-reigns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Week After The DOJ Wire Act Opinion Reversal: Chaos Still Reigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Jan. 14, the Office of Legal Counsel<\/strong> (DOLC) at the Department of Justice<\/strong> (DOJ) issued a revised opinion on the applicability of the Wire Act<\/strong>. This apparently innocuous act may have serious implications for the nascent online gambling industry<\/strong> in the US.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been just over a week since the opinion was published. The potential ramifications are being digested and some reactions\u00a0refuse to mince words. Slowly, it is becoming clear just what the consequences will be.<\/p>\n

What is the Wire Act problem?<\/h2>\n

The Wire Act of 1961 made it illegal for anyone to engage in;<\/p>\n

\u201cthe 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<\/strong>, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers,\u201d[emphasis added].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Until 2011, the DOJ interpreted this to mean that all gambling on the internet was illegal.<\/p>\n