Poker Legislation News
Perhaps the new Wire Act opinion from the Department of Justice won’t slow down online gambling, after all. A bill was recently introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates that would legalize and regulate online gambling in the state. The West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act (H 2934) could end up permitting virtually any… Read more »
During a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the special counsel investigation last week, Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was surprisingly asked a question about his involvement in January’s new opinion on the Wire Act issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Whitaker denied any involvement. The opinion, as has… Read more »
The Attorneys General of New Jersey and Pennsylvania – two of the four states that have legalized online poker – have written a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein, protesting the recent new Wire Act opinion issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). In… Read more »
The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), a non-profit trade association of 52 lottery organizations in the United States and Canada, has responded to the Justice Department’s reversal of the 2011 Wire Act Opinion. As one might expect, the response is not a positive one, as NASPL believes the reinterpretation “creates a… Read more »
One of the key questions posed in the aftermath of last week’s new Wire Act opinion published by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) was, “Will this even have any effect on online poker?” It didn’t take long to find out the answer, as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board quickly sent a letter… Read more »
Since the U. S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a reversal last Monday of the 2011 decision by the Obama Administration’s decision regarding online sports betting, gaming and poker, there have been a flurry of opinions on the issue. Some entities have called the new opinion “unfortunate,” while other organizations are tempering… Read more »
Around Christmas of 2011, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued an opinion on the Wire Act, saying that it online made interstate online sports betting illegal, not all interstate online gambling. This paved the way for states to begin legalizing online gambling and so far, four – Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey,… Read more »
Online poker is once again on the table in the New York state legislature, as a bill has been introduced that would legalize and regulate the pastime. Senate Bill 18, sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo (D – 15th District), would only legalize online poker, not online casino games, which have been more profitable in other… Read more »
Waiting until the very last minute possible before he left office, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder dashed the hopes of the Michigan legislature and thousands of online gaming fans in the Wolverine State by vetoing recently passed online gaming and poker legislation. Late Night Decision to Pass… On December 21st, in a last-minute session, the Michigan… Read more »
In an event that occurred rapidly (and Poker News Daily actually resisted reporting on until it was a done deal), the Michigan General Assembly passed legislation that would regulate online gaming and poker within the borders of the Wolverine State. On Thursday, the Senate Approved… In what was a late-night vote on Thursday evening, the… Read more »
The Washington, D.C. Council passed a bill to legalize sports betting on Tuesday which, if it becomes law, will make the District of Columbia the ninth U.S. jurisdiction to permit the pastime. Nevada, of course, has had sports betting for years, but it wasn’t until this May – when the Supreme Court overturned PASPA –… Read more »
Online poker players, hold on to your butts. According to a report from Online Poker Report, the United States Department of Justice is working on a new opinion of the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, known simply as the Wire Act, that will say that it applies to all forms of online gambling, rather than… Read more »
We are a half-decade into legalized online poker in the United States and just three measly states have launched their internet gaming industries with a fourth – Pennsylvania – close to joining. That’s it. With all the hubbub about sports betting in the last several months, it feels like online poker is on the back… Read more »
The history of tribal gaming in the States of America – where individual Indian tribes own and operate casinos outside of the purveyance of state and/or federal regulations – only dates back to the late 1970s. Those tribes that operate gaming on their reservations are also very protective of their rights to offer gaming and… Read more »
It appears that the legalization of sports betting is something that may be up for discussion in the Tennessee legislature in 2019, as State Representative Rick Staples introduced HB 0001 in the House of Representatives last week, a bill which “authorizes sports betting in this state only in jurisdictions that approve sports betting by local… Read more »
While the States of America recently went through elections – some of which had to do with gaming in the different states – many countries around the world have also taken a different tack with regards to poker. While those in the U. S. may believe that they have the market cornered on “misery” regarding… Read more »
Might as well keep going with the mid-term election news. In Arkansas on Tuesday, voters approved an amendment which would allow casino gambling in the state. Issue 4, as it was called, passed by a margin of 54.07 to 45.93 percent with 87 percent of the state’s precincts reporting. Oaklawn Racing and Gaming in Hot… Read more »
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a Sheldon Adelson ally and opponent of online poker, was defeated in his bid to become the next Governor of the Silver State, losing to Democrat Steve Sisolak on Tuesday night. Sisolak received 49.4 percent of the vote to Laxalt’s 45.3 percent. Laxalt is a RAWA Fan Nevada was the… Read more »
Future gambling expansion in Florida may have taken a hit on Tuesday as residents of Florida overwhelmingly passed Amendment 3, 71.44 percent to 28.56 percent. The measure puts decisions about casino gambling in the hands of Florida voters, rather than in the hands of state lawmakers. Sounds Good, But It’s Bad for Poker On its… Read more »
Ever since it took over the Poker Players Alliance, Poker Central has been extremely quiet. The organization was rebranded at the time of the takeover, with Poker Central renaming the group the Poker Alliance, but it didn’t exactly jump back into the fray regarding poker, gaming or…anything, to be honest. Now the new Poker Alliance… Read more »
Adam Laxalt is the Attorney General of Nevada. He is currently running for Governor on the Republican side of the ballot. He is also, somewhat oddly considering the state he wishes to lead, against online poker. He is also getting very little support from his family, as is evidenced by a recent op-ed penned by… Read more »
The Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed a pair of lawsuits last week, clearing the way for a referendum on gambling expansion to appear on the state’s November ballot. The measure, listed as Issue 4, would amend the Arkansas Constitution to allow for four casino gaming licenses. Ballotpedia details the four licenses as follows: • To Southland… Read more »
It is often said that “politics makes for strange bedfellows.” That adage is being proven in Florida, where a referendum on the ballot come the midterm elections has brought together an odd tandem who are looking for the same outcome. Brought Together for the Same Goal The Orlando Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell reported recently on how… Read more »
Oh wonderful. Look who’s back. On Monday, Jon Kyl, one of the men responsible for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), was named by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey as replacement for the late John McCain in the Senate. There isn’t anything going on in the Senate when it comes to online poker,… Read more »
Pennsylvania finally legalized online poker last fall and now the industry is finally, slowly starting to ramp up. The first deadline for casinos to apply for interactive gaming licenses was early last week and though for a while it looked like very few or even none of them would file petitions, in the end, nine… Read more »
