Key Takeaways
- State Attorneys General of New Jersey and Pennsylvania raised “strong objections” to the DOJ’s recent reinterpretation of the Wire Act.
- The states have asked that the DOJ rescind its opinion or guarantee companies operating legally under state law will not be prosecuted.
- Communication between government officials and Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands and the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling are among those being sought by the state of New Jersey.
State Attorneys General of New Jersey and Pennsylvania coauthored a letter to the US Department of Justice last week professing their “strong objections” to the DOJ’s recent opinion that the Wire Act prohibits interstate online gambling and asking the requesting that the DOJ withdraw its.
Beyond objecting, Gurbir S. Grewal (AG of New Jersey) and Josh Shapiro (AG of Pennsylvania) called upon Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to withdraw the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion.
As an alternative, Grewal and Shapiro will accept the DOJ’s “guarantee” that it “will not bring enforcement actions against companies in [their] states that are acting lawfully under state statutes.”
