How The New Decision About The Wire Act Affects Online Blackjack

Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl had recently sent a request to the Department of Justice asking for clarification of the current laws that restrict and regulate online gaming. As it turns out, there is really only one law that applies to online gaming. This law was called the Wire Act and was brought into being in 1961.

The Department of Justice acknowledged that their official position was not the same position that had been held by the DoJ in the past. However, they also contended that their position was more in line with the debates that occurred in Congress at the time the law was enacted.

The new Department of Justice stance says that the Wire Act was made in reference to sporting events, not online games like poker or blackjack. According to the new ruling, the DoJ might regulate online betting on horse races, but not online blackjack games.

The DoJ did not make any mention of whether they would seek a way to regulate other forms of online gambling in the future. If they do not decide to regulate, this will leave the regulation to individual states. This leaves many people in hopes that states will set up legislation that will allow online blackjack to operate freely.

Nevada and the District of Columbia have already discussed plans to create legislation to allow online gaming. Representatives from both areas have stated that they were holding off on their plans until they could hear the ruling from the DoJ, concerning the Wire Act. Now that the ruling has been made, these and other states may lead the way towards creating legislation that will allow online gaming such as poker or blackjack.

There are even rumors that some states may join together to create huge lotteries. The lottery would involve participants from several states, which would raise the possible winnings astronomically.

If these states are successful in pushing through this legislation, this could mean good news for those in the online blackjack industry. It could set a precedent for online gaming legislation that allows more online blackjack websites to exist.

The Department of Justice may decide to try to move forward with a set of federal regulations on other online gambling besides just sporting events. If they do, the gaming industry is hopeful that the regulations will allow online games like blackjack.

If they choose not to move forward with legislation of this sort, the field will be wide open for states to pursue that legislation on their own. Since several states are already ready to begin this push, this battle could begin shortly, creating a favorable environment for online blackjack.

Published on 4 January 2012