US Casino Industry Abuzz With DoJ Online Gambling Flip Flop

The Department of Justice announcement that Wire Act 1961 applies only to sports betting is being discussed virtually by everyone from ordinary gamblers to big bosses of major casino chains. The radically updated view could potentially change American gambling laws paving way to swift legalization of online gambling in USA.

We continue our coverage of reactions started with the United States Gambling Giants Applaud DoJ Surrender article.

Robert O’Neill, California State Lottery chief, commented that the new DoJ view had opened up “a major potential channel” for sales of lottery tickets online, but that until it becomes legal it remains “just a potential channel.” O’Neill also revealed that lottery officials are not currently considering online poker sites in United States, which he referred to as “a whole other discussion.”

The longtime supporter of state-level online gaming, US Digital Gaming, couldn’t be happier with the DoJ’s stance. Melissa Riahei, general counsel, described the announcement to United States gambling news as a “wonderful Christmas gift to state governments nationwide.”

Another software company dancing enthusiastically around the Christmas tree was US lottery and gaming tech supplier Scientific Games Corp., which enjoyed shares increase of 15.47 percent yesterday.

Nevada saw online poker regulations approved by the state regulators the day before the DoJ view was made public. Aristocrat Technologies became the latest company to petition for a license. Of the seven applicants, who have applied for Nevada poker license so far, only South Point Casino is looking to receive an operator’s license; the rest of the pack are only seeking to offer technological support for operators.

We continue to follow the developments and will keep our readers up-to-date.