Bet From Anywhere Blog

Three members of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee attended a meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gambling States earlier this month and all agree Maine needs to move swiftly to update its gambling laws and take advantage of new flexibility.

“I think we will be spending a lot of time with the Attorney General,” said Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden. “There are so many changes and policy decisions that we have to make. There is so much happening, it is just amazing.”

She said a U.S. Justice Department ruling last month dominated the discussion at the conference. The department reversed its interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act that banned online gambling and said state lotteries are not prohibited from offering online wagering within their state. [Read more →]

Tags:   Debra Plowman · Douglas Damon · Linda Valentino · MaineNo Comments.

A Justice Department memo last month that cleared the way for states to legalize online poker and lotteries makes it more important than ever for Congress to clear up the issue on a federal level, supporters of legislation say.

Supporters of legalizing online poker cheered the ruling but said it may create confusion and encourage the creation of a patchwork of state Internet gambling rules. Congress passed legislation in 2006 aimed at barring online gambling in the United States by prohibiting financial institutions from processing payments for online bets.

“I think that this ruling creates more confusion than clarity in the Internet gambling debate,” American Gaming Association President and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf  told National Journal in an interview.

Critics of the 2006 law say it has not prevented Americans from gambling online. Many Americans continue to gamble on websites based outside the United States, a situation that deprives U.S. players of consumer protections and state and federal governments of tax revenues, said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. Pappas and others say Congress needs to step in with federal online poker legislation.

Both Pappas’ group and the American Gaming Association favor legislation that would legalize and regulate online poker. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, introduced a bill last year, though Fahrenkopf’s group has not taken a formal stand on it. Supporters say poker is a game of skill and can be more easily regulated online than other forms of Internet gambling.

Barton said while the Justice memo makes clear that playing poke online does not violate the Wire Act, the department’s interpretation of the law could lead states to adopt a variety of individual laws.

“If Congress doesn’t act soon we could end up with fractured rules and regulations that vary state to state, leaving more opportunity for fraud and fewer safeguards for players,” Barton, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement. “I plan to keep moving forward with my efforts to move H.R. 2366 through the committee process, and I am confident it will be passed by the House and Senate – hopefully in this session.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., also is reportedly working on online poker legislation and has been aiming to gain the support of Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who helped craft the 2006 anti-gambling law, according to industry sources and news reports. Spokesmen for both Reid and Kyl did not respond to requests for comment.

The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade has held two hearings on Internet gambling and is likely to hold at least one more to gather additional feedback from the Justice Department and other officials on the issue. A spokesman for subcommittee Chairwoman Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., said she has not made up her mind whether she will support Barton’s bill, which must go through her panel.

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According to CBS Detroit report, WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick reports that the U.S. Justice Department reversed a law, the 1961 Interstate Wire Act, which until now, has banned internet betting.

This ruling does not mean that Michigan will automatically allow internet gambling with all of its casinios and tribal casinos but the possibility for that change is now there as the Snyder administration and lawmakers are expected to investigate the issue further.

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It may be up to New Jersey voters to decide whether to allow online betting in the state. An Internet gambling bill that was going to be fast-tracked through the Legislature is being held up because the state constitution may require the question to be put to voters.  Assembly and Senate panels have put off hearing the bill Thursday, the final committee meeting day of the session. Bills not approved by Monday must be reintroduced after the Legislature reorganizes Tuesday.

Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday he supports Internet gambling if it complies with the constitution and is focused in Atlantic City. The governor vetoed a previous online betting bill. This bill would let customers create online accounts with casinos. They would have to be in New Jersey when placing bets.

Tags:   Atlantic City · Governon Chris Christie · New JerseyNo Comments.

Rushing to take advantage of a U.S. Justice Department ruling that in-state Internet gambling does not violate federal law, a New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak is pushing for his colleagues to pass a bill legalizing online gambling within the state’s borders. He told The Associated Press on Monday he’ll try to get a bill through the Legislature and on Gov. Chris Christie’s desk by next week. The goal is to make New Jersey the national leader in online gambling, now that the federal government says in-state bets do not violate the law.

A spokesman for the governor could not say Monday whether Christie would sign the bill if it passes. A spokesman for Senate leadership said it won’t be clear until Tuesday whether there’s enough support to move forward quickly on the bill, and a spokesman for Assembly leadership said leaders would listen to Lesniak’s request before deciding on a course of action.

Nevada is already moving fast to capitalize on the ruling. Late last week, the state’s gambling regulators approved rules that allow companies in the state to apply for licenses to operate poker web sites. Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns four of Atlantic City’s 11 casinos, and Boyd Gaming Corp., which owns half of the city’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, have already submitted proposals to be licensed in Nevada.

Tags:   New Jersey · Raymond LesniakNo Comments.