Industry News of the Day for June 4, 2019

By iDEA | June 4, 2019

iDEA Growth in the News:

  • Gambling Compliance, 6.4.19 – New Hampshire Judge Overturns DOJ Wire Act Opinion (iDEA Growth lawsuit mentioned and J. Ifrah quoted)
    • The future of internet gambling and online lotteries in the United States became more secure on Monday after a federal judge in Concord, New Hampshire, ruled the U.S. Wire Act of 1961 applies only to sports betting.
  • EGR Global, 6.3.19 – New Hampshire District Court Rules Wire Act Only Applies To Sports Betting (iDEA Growth lawsuit mentioned)
    • The District Court of New Hampshire has ruled in favour of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission’s (NHLC) argument that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting. The court held that the Wire Act is limited to sports wagering and found that state lottery and vendors were exempt from the act.
  • Law360, 6.4.19 – DOJ’s View That Wire Act Applies Beyond Sports Betting KO’d (J. Ifrah quoted)
    • A New Hampshire federal judge on Monday set aside a recent U.S. Department of Justice reinterpretation of the Wire Act to apply beyond sports gambling in a closely watched challenge by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission and lottery vendors that had argued the opinion would hamper the growing online lottery and gambling industries.
  • SBC Americas, 6.4.19 – Reset For The Wire Act As Barbadoro Overturns DOJ Catch-All Opinion (J. Ifrah quoted)
    • The United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire has found in favor of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission (NHLC) in the long-awaited ruling on last year’s revised opinion of the Wire Act by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The act, it said, applies solely to interstate wagers on sports wagers, not all forms of mobile gaming.
  • Casino Beats, 6.4.19 – Federal Judge Rules In Favour Of New Hampshire On Wire Act Case (J. Ifrah quoted)
    • A federal judge has ruled in favour of the state of New Hampshire in its challenge of the US Department of Justice’s new opinion as it pertains to the Wire Act. Last year the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a new opinion to expand the act to more broadly cover interstate online gambling, as opposed to the previous sole sports betting interpretation.

Federal News:

  • AP, 6.3.19 – Judge: Law Applies To Sports Betting, Not Lotteries
    • A federal judge ruled Monday that a law prohibiting interstate wagering applies only to sports gambling, setting aside a Justice Department opinion that some states feared would make online lottery activities illegal and put the programs they fund at risk.
  • Legal Sports Report, 6.3.19 – Why The New Wire Act Decision Might Not Be A Win For Sports Betting
    • The moment we have been waiting for since Feb. 15 has finally arrived, as we have a Wire Act memo decision from the New Hampshire District Court.
  • Online Poker Report, 6.3.19 – Federal Judge To DOJ: Wire Act Only Applies To Sports Betting
    • New Hampshire has won its lawsuit against the US Department of Justice clarifying the scope of a 1961 federal gambling law. In a 60-page ruling issued Monday, US District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro rejected a 2018 opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel which expanded the Wire Act to broadly cover interstate online gambling.
  • com, 6.3.19 – Court Decision Supports N.J. Online Gambling Over Trump Administration Opposition
    • A federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from going after New Jersey’s $350 million online gambling industry. U.S. District Judge Paul Barbadoro ruled the federal Wire Act referred only to sports betting and did not ban in-state online gambling or lotteries.
  • WBUR, 6.3.19 – NH Wins Lawsuit Against Federal Government Over Lottery Sales
    • A judge has ruled in favor of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission in its lawsuit against the federal government over a decision that could have cost the state millions of dollars in education funding. The federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice was incorrect when it reinterpreted the decades-old Wire Act in a way that could have made online lottery sales illegal.

Industry News: Illinois

  • The Action Network, 6.3.19 – Legal Sports Betting Coming To Illinois After Lawmakers Pass Bill In Extended Session
    • Illinois became the 13th state to pass sports betting legislation on Sunday, and the fifth to pass it this year. With the state’s legislative session extended over the weekend, the state voted to pass its bill. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign, and when he does, Illinois will join its Midwest partners Indiana and Iowa with legalized wagering, though the terms are a little different.
  • Sports Handle, 6.3.19 – Illinois Sports Betting Bill ‘Not The Best’
    • If one thing is clear after a weekend of wheeling and dealing, Illinois lawmakers accomplished their main goal — to legalize sports betting. But as times wears on, the issue of how they legalized and how the industry will respond to a bill that is, in the words of one source, “not the best,” will come to light.

iDEA Growth Member News:

  • NJ Gambling Sites, 6.3.19 – Unibet And Bet365 Sportsbook Apps Coming To NJ ‘Pretty Soon’
    • Yes, it’s late May, but Hard Rock Atlantic City is gearing up for football season. Those plans will likely include the launch of two new NJ mobile sports betting platforms before the NFL’s first regular-season game is played. (That’s the Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears on Sept. 5, for those keeping tabs.)
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