Different view of US DoJ over online gambling

The year 2011 has been a very sever one for online gambling in US. With the closure of various poker rooms in April, the US online gambling has had difficult times. Now, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has changed views and given hopes for the upcoming 2012 year.

The Wire Act of 1961 will apply from now on only to sports betting and not to online casino gambling. The change comes as a consolation to individuals and online gambling operators who have paid millions of dollars to DoJ.

This change has occurred due to a re-evaluation of the Wire Act which asked for the DoJ's opinion regarding the plans of the states of Illinois and New York to sell lottery tickets over the Internet. As a result, the DoJ stated that their plans are not in prohibition with the Wire Act.

Therefore, individual states have the authority to regulate online gambling that does not involve sports betting.