DOJ’s Reversed Wire Act Opinion Meets Opposition

As most of you may remember, the US DOJ recently reversed its opinion on the 1961 Federal Wire Act. Due to this new rethink, many are gearing up in protest. In fact, two state attorney generals and the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) are all united in their opposition against the new ruling. With a long legal battle brewing, and a showdown at the Supreme Court might not be too far away.

Prepared to Fight

Together, NJ’s Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and PA’s Josh Shapiro wrote a joint letter to the DOJ expressing their strong opposition against its new legal opinion. Which, is that the Wire Act doesn’t apply to all forms of online gambling. Also, they urged the DOJ to withdraw its opinion. Plus, assure companies and individuals engaged in online gambling that they won’t face federal legal action.

As of now, states have until the middle of April to comply. When that time comes, they can legally force operators to switch things up, although it’s still unclear to what degree. In the meantime, the opposition team is in full motion to end this standoff before the deadline. So, this is definitely going to heat up fast! Not to mention, Grewal also filed a freedom of information request to understand further how the department came to this new understanding.

A Possible Shady Deal

According to Grewal, “There’s not a single good reason for this new opinion”. Therefore, he wants to know if Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson had any efforts in the new thinking. After all, he’s completely against online gambling and has lobbyists in Washington. Now we’re learning that Adelson donated $500,000 to a legal fund used for supporting the president’s men caught up in the Russian scandal. And now NJ wants to know if there are any connections between the two.