Interstate Online Gambling
Michigan’s Senate approved the Interstate Online Poker Bill early in October, 2020.
The Bill is now to be voted upon by House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will effectively prohibit online gambling and lottery businesses, experts said on Tuesday, after it decided to broaden its interpretation of rules. Now, nearly 60 years later people wonder if the Wire Act will always be a roadblock to interstate online gambling in America. Whether the Act applies to all forms of gambling (or only sports betting) is currently the subject of a court in the First Circuit. Beginning in 2011, businesses involved in non-sports-related interstate ongoing gambling had good reason to believe that certain prohibitions pertaining to the knowing use of a wire communication facility to place bets or wagers, assist in placing bets or wagers, and/or transmit information assisting in placing bets or wagers did not apply to them.
Now says the U.S. Wire Act bars all internet gambling that involves interstate transactions, reversing its position from 2011 that only sports betting was prohibited under the law passed.
Interstate Online Gambling Games
Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. introduced the Bill in June as Senate Bill 0991. The Bill would allow consumers in Michigan to compete against players in other regulated states across the US.
Michigan Lawful Internet Gaming Act would stand to be amended if the Bill becomes the law.
The Bill states that Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) may enter into agreements with other jurisdictions, including Indian tribes, to facilitate, administer, and regulate multijurisdictional internet gaming for poker, reported gambling.com.
Interstate Online Gambling Sites
MGCB executive director Richard Kalm said, “Once the rules go into effect, that will allow us to give licenses to both the operators and the platform providers. End of November, that’s our hope. But that will again depend on everything getting turned in, reviewed and approved. Then secondly, ultimately, what the operators and platform providers decide to do in terms of launching their product”, reported gambling.com.