Week of February 18

We’re keeping a close eye on the US Department of Justice and its Office of Legal Counsel. The OLC recently published an updated opinion that broadens its interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act.

Widespread pushback is beginning to materialize, including:

• The New Hampshire Lottery filed a federal lawsuit against the US attorney general.
• The New Jersey Senate president threatened his own legal action if the opinion isn’t rescinded.
• MGM CEO Jim Murren called the new opinion “poorly written and unenforceable” during an investors call.

Limited legislative appetite for online gambling persists, however. Connecticut, New York, Virginia and West Virginia all have relevant bills on file so far.

While our coverage occasionally reaches into nearly every corner of online gaming, Online Poker Report has a few primary focus areas.

Regulated U.S. Online Poker

The bulk of our coverage is focused on the markets for regulated, legal, online poker in New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, along with other states in the U.S., including New York and Michigan that are considering regulated online poker.

Our coverage spans regulatory updates, legislative developments, market analysis, and day-to-day news that may be of interest not only to those following the markets, but also online poker players who participate in them.

Online Gambling Regulation in America

Along with specific coverage of online poker, we also explore the broader topic of online gambling regulation in the United States, including casino and lottery games.

Our companion site – LegalSportsReport.com – is where you’ll find our coverage of issues related to daily fantasy sports and legal sports betting in the U.S.. We also cover the consumer perspective on NJ online casinos at PlayNJ.com.

The Global Online Poker Market

Recently, we have started to expand our coverage beyond the U.S. into the global market for online poker, including jurisdictions such as the UK’s regulated online poker market. We made this decision as the leading companies involved in one market increasingly started to mirror companies in another, and as the innovations from – and the challenges facing – the international online poker market became increasingly relevant for the American online poker industry as well.