Translating the 2019 DoJ reinterpretation of the Wire Act – Implications for gaming, betting and lottery

On Monday, January 14 the US Department of Justice reversed its 2011 opinion of the Office of the Legal Counsel that back then gave industry the certainty needed to authorize and launch iGaming. iGaming regulation followed in Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey and ilotteries launched in several states.

Does the 2019 reversal mean that we’re back to the pre-2011 status-quo? What implications it creates for the existing iGaming and iLottery operations, for the emerging sports betting sectors and for the established DFS industry? What is the likelihood of legal battles to follow and can they lead to the opening of the Wire Act at some point? How are investors reacting and what is the likely reaction of the wider global gambling sector on their investments in the USA?

These and other burning questions were discussed by our expert presenters, including:

Moderator: Brendan Bussmann, Partner, Director, Government Affairs, Global Gaming Advisors
Anthony Cabot, Distinguished Fellow in Gaming law at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law
Gordon Medenica, Director, Maryland Lottery and Gaming
Barry Jonas, Director, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (STRH)
Brandt Iden, State Representative, Michigan