CEI: Rumored DOJ Memo to Restrict States’ Power to Regulate Intrastate Gambling Would be “Dangerous Precedent”
According to reports, the Department of Justice is considering releasing a memo that reverses a 2011 decision by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) which clarified that the 1964 Wire Act applied only to interstate sports gambling. The new memo under consideration is said to reverse the 2011 OLC decision, essentially saying all online gambling is banned by the 1964 Wire Act.
CEI Senior Fellow Michelle Minton weighed in on the rumored DOJ reversal:
“The Department of Justice’s rumored memo could jeopardize the progress states with legal online betting have made at chipping away at the illegal online betting market. The original intent of the Wire Act was that it only applied to sports betting and never sought to strip states of their power to decide whether or not to legalize any form of intrastate gambling. Allowing the executive branch to bypass Congress, seemingly in the service of special interests, sets a dangerous precedent.”
Read more:
- Minton: Let States Regulate Sports Gambling within their Borders
- Forbes: Online Gambling — None Of Washington’s Business (But Its Enemies Don’t Care)
- Townhall: Beware the Dangers of Online Gambling Says Wildly Rich, Totally Uninterested Casino Owner