{"id":92935,"date":"2018-11-18T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-11-18T20:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=92935"},"modified":"2018-11-18T04:50:25","modified_gmt":"2018-11-18T12:50:25","slug":"congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressman Demands DOJ Opinion on Sports Betting, Calls for Federal Regulation"},"content":{"rendered":"

US Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) believes the \u201cworst option\u201d for the federal government is to defer completely to states on sports betting regulation.<\/p>\n

\"Sensenbrenner\"
US Representative Jim Sensenbrenner says there will be a legislative response from Congress to the striking down of PASPA but for some reason he just can\u2019t get the 2011 DOJ opinion on the Wire Act out his head. (Image: Chris Maddaloni\/CQ Roll Call)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a letter addressed to US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rothstein, dated November 15, Sensenbrenner writes that it\u2019s \u201cclear Congress had work to do to endure the public is protected, and any potential for exploitation is minimized in this post-PASPA era\u201d and promised a \u201clegislative response.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, he wants to know the DOJ\u2019s position on sports betting and queries whether it is prepared to reconsider its position on the Wire Act.<\/p>\n

On May 14, 2018, the US Supreme Court rejected PASPA, the federal law that prohibited state-sanctioned sports betting, calling it \u201ca direct afront to state sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCongress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own,\u201d ruled the SCOTUS majority.<\/p>\n

Wire Act Fixation <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The decision has paved the way for the states to legalize sports betting within their borders if they choose to do so. State legislators would largely prefer the federal government to\u00a0stay out of it<\/a>\u00a0— but a small number of US Congressman, including Sensenbrenner, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-New York), and Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) believe federal regulation is necessary.<\/p>\n

Sensenbrenner is chairman of the\u00a0House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, which held a federal hearing on the issue in September.<\/p>\n

\n

The committee\u2019s decision to invite the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling to testify, meant that unfortunately much of the discussion veered off topic — to the Wire Act and a 2011 DOJ legal opinion that paved the way for state-regulated online casino gaming and poker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In his letter, Sensenbrenner remains fixated on the DOJ\u2019s 2011 opinion, despite its irrelevance to the topic, and demands to know whether Rothstein supports the opinion.<\/p>\n

Barking Up the Wrong Tree<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Wire Act prohibits interstate sports betting but since states are only interested in regulating intrastate sports betting it\u2019s a moot point — unless the wider objective is to ban all forms of online gambling in the US.<\/p>\n

Sensenbrenner also asks Rothstein what \u201cguidance, if any, is the DOJ providing to states that enter the sports betting realm\u201d and what issues — legal and illegal — he foresees if Congress does not act in response to the striking down of PASPA.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch wagering \u2014 combined with the issuance of an opinion by the previous administration\u2019s Office of Legal Counsel reinterpreting the Wire Act \u2014 will allow for exploitation of Internet gambling by criminal and terrorist organizations to obtain funds, launder money, and engage in identity theft and other cybercrimes,\u201d claims Sensenbrenner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) believes the \u201cworst option\u201d for the federal government is to defer completely to states on sports betting regulation. In a letter addressed to US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rothstein, dated November 15, Sensenbrenner writes that it\u2019s \u201cclear Congress had work to do to endure the public is protected, and any […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":92937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,13592,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCongressman Demands DOJ Opinion on Sports Betting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"US Representative Jim Sensenbrenner is flexing his muscles on sports betting. 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He promises federal legislation and asks the DOJ\u2019s opinion, in a letter to US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rothstein.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-18T20:00:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-18T12:50:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jim.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1292\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"969\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting\/\",\"name\":\"Congressman Demands DOJ Opinion on Sports Betting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/congressman-demands-doj-opinion-on-sports-betting\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jim.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-18T20:00:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-18T12:50:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"US Representative Jim Sensenbrenner is flexing his muscles on sports betting. 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