Industry News of the Day for April 11, 2019

Federal News:

  • Online Poker Report, 4.11.19 – Arguments In Wire Act Lawsuit Begin In New Hampshire Federal Court
    • On Thursday morning, a federal judge in New Hampshire will hear arguments in the legal challenge to the new Wire Act opinion issued in January by the US Department of Justice.
  • Play NJ, 4.10.19 – A Closer Look At The Wire Act Lawsuit Puzzle And The Future Of Nj Online Gambling
    • The Department of Justice’s latest Wire Act opinion is back in the spotlight this week. More specifically, the spotlight is in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Lottery filed suit against the DOJ over the 2018 Wire Act opinion released in January. And in March, New Jersey filed an amicus brief in support of New Hampshire’s challenge.
  • PA Online Casino, 4.10.19 – Last Minute Memo Throws A Wrench In Wire Act Lawsuit
    • The legal compass of the Wire Act has changed once more with a new 11th-hour filing. The DOJ filed new evidence, including a memo on how the new Wire Act opinion applies to state lotteries. Or rather, that it does not apply to state lotteries.
  • NJ Online Gambling, 4.9.19 – Move Over, New Hampshire: New Jersey May Become Leader Of The Pack Again In Legal Gambling Fight
    • A Department of Justice legal opinion made public in January titled “Reconsidering Whether the Wire Act Applies to Non-Sports Gambling” roiled the entire U.S. legal gambling industry. The opinion opened the door to the possibility that The Wire Act of 1961 could be applied to virtually all gambling — not just sports bets placed across state lines, as had been concluded by the same department just eight years earlier.

Ohio:

  • Cincinnati Business Journal, 4.11.19 – Ohio Considers Sports Betting Bill
    • A Greater Cincinnati representative is one of two legislators who have proposed a bill that would legalize and regulate sports betting in Ohio.
  • City Beat, 4.10.19 – New Bill in Ohio House Would Legalize Sports Betting
    • Under the proposed legislation, the Ohio State Lottery Commission would oversee betting on professional and collegiate sporting events at the state’s 11 casinos as well as at veterans halls and fraternal clubs, collecting a 10-percent tax on betting that would go to school districts and gambling addiction treatment and prevention.

Pennsylvania:

  • PA Online Casino, 4.10.19 – PA Online Lottery Could Face Competition From Neighboring Ohio
    • In the time since former Gov. Tom Wolf passed Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion bill in Oct. 2017, the PA Lottery launched several different types of games, including PA iLottery instant-win games. All of this has come without in-state competition in the online space.

New Hampshire:

  • NHPR, 4.10.19 – Sports Betting: On Track In New Hampshire?
    • A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year allowed states to legalize gambling on sporting events. Now the Granite State appears poised to do so, with a House bill advancing through the legislature.

West Virginia:

Indiana:

North Carolina:

Tennessee:

Oregon:

Louisiana:

Montana:

  • Great Falls Tribune, 4.10.19 – Bills Would Legalize Sports Betting And Regulate It
    • In the Montana Legislature Wednesday, the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee heard testimony on two bills that would legalize sports betting and regulate it through the Board of Horse Racing and the Montana Lottery, both of which have no oversight from the Gambling Control Division.
  • MTN News, 4.10.19 – Bills To Legalize Sports Betting Advancing Through MT Legislature
    • Two bills to legalize sports betting in Montana are working their way through the Legislature — and the sponsors say it’s OK with them if both approaches are approved, allowing them to compete for bettors’ business.
  • Sports Handle, 4.10.19 – Montana House Bills Start March Through Senate
    • Montana senators heard yet another round of testimony about sports betting as the Senate Committee on Business, Labor and Economic Affairs on Wednesday kicked off its consideration of two House sports betting bills.

Overall Industry News: