PPA Applauds DOJ Stance on Online Poker

January 2 - The Poker Players Alliance, the group which represents over one million US poker players, has welcomed the Department of Justice's published opinion regarding a change in the interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act.

On the day before Christmas, the DOJ published an opinion written by the Assistant Attorney General, Virginia A. Seitz that the DOJ does not see the selling of online lottery tickets contravening the Wire Act since they are not sporting events. This naturally led to the conclusion that online poker and other forms of gambling are also not incorporated under the Wire Act, as long as they are not sports events.

John Pappas, the Executive Director for the PPA, applauding the online poker room stance said: "This is a much needed clarification of an antiquated and often confusing law. For years legal scholars and even the courts have debated whether the Wire Act applies to non sporting activity. Today's announcement validates the fact that internet poker does not violate this law."

As soon as the news broke regarding the DOJ's surprise announcement, individual states started considering their options and have started discussions regarding the introduction of intrastate online poker. 

Nevada, which has been working for months already to ensure that it is at the forefront of any changes, has already started accepting applications for online poker operators within its borders. Companies such as Bally's Technology, Caesars Entertainment, Cantor Gaming and International Game Technology have already applied for online poker licenses in Nevada.

PPA Prefers Online Poker Changes at Federal Level

The PPA, however, along with other lobbying groups, prefer that changes are made to the country's online poker laws at a federal level.

"It is our hope that our federal policymakers see this as an incentive to move quickly to enact federal licensing and regulation before various states produce a mix of individual state schemes that may not be the best model to serve consumers," said Pappas of the PPA.

The Poker Players Alliance is not the only group to call for changes at a federal level.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) also expressed its fears that unless the Federal government moves quickly to adopt legislation, the opinion may result in "a proliferation of domestic and foreign, unlicensed, and unregulated gaming websites without consistent regulatory standards and safeguards against fraud, underage gambling, and money laundering."