Chips are down for online gamblers as US moves toward new ban

[misskit]

US authorities have begun an effort to ban all forms of internet gambling, reversing course from a 2011 decision and imperiling a burgeoning online wagering sector in several American states.


The Justice Department earlier this month released a legal opinion stating that any form of online betting, not just sports betting, would be a violation of the federal Wire Act.


That could shut down online poker, casino and lottery offerings launched in a handful of states since a 2011 decision by the Obama administration to refrain from prosecuting any online betting that is not sports-related.


"It could have a signficant impact but it will depend on whether the DoJ strictly enforces its new interpretation," said Jennifer Roberts, associate director of the International Center for Gaming Regulation at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.


Roberts said a very strict interpretation could shut down fantasy sports leagues that have grown in recent years and potentially any online wagering even if confined to a single state where betting is legal.

MORE. https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/chi...an-doc-1cc4x52

[Cujo]

What if the betting site and servers are overseas?

[misskit]

^ Not sure how this will be policed. There are Americans who run betting sites from overseas but live here. Not a big secret who they are. Maybe easy to stop them as long as they don’t want to become expatriates.

[foobar]

US extradition has a long reach, unless the owners want to spend the rest of their lives living in Russia.

[jabir]

What if the betting site and servers are overseas?

American gamblers I have known over the years either move, often across the border to Canada, or use a foreign vpn together with documented proof of 'temporary' foreign residence.

I reckon more than a few bulky manilla envelopes have been passed to the DOJ by lobbyists for US based gambling firms.

[TizMe]

It'll just become a Whac-A-Mole game, the same way torrent sites do.

[baldrick]

yes - and the move toward blockchain based gambling apps will make it unstoppable unless you disconnect your country from the outside world