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United States : Toward liberalization of interstate online poker
The regulation of online poker seems to be on the right way in the United States after the events that occurred recently. Last week, specifically on Thursday, December 22, the State of Nevada legalized the practice of online poker within its territory, while on Friday, December 23, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) published a document providing details on the federal law about the prohibition of interstate online betting: the Federal Wire Act. This federal law forbids the practice of online betting "on sport events or contests", but leaves an open field on the practice of legal interstate online poker. In other words, each State has the right to regulate it according to its own laws on online poker and can therefore establish an agreement for the practice of Interstate online poker defined by their respective laws. The Wire Act is then applied at the federal level and regulation of online poker in a State is not concerned.
This clarification of the Federal Wire Act law seems to be a big step for the US online poker especially for Poker Players Alliance (PPA). Many States are now taking steps following the example of Nevada for the online poker law, namely California, Florida, Illinois, Washington DC, New Jersey and Iowa. However, this position of the American justice will not affect the pending lawsuits against online poker sites in the Black Friday that are part of an illegal online betting, also accused of racketeering, organized crime and money laundering.
Source: Jack SMITH
Friday, 30 December 2011
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