However, the timing struck many as suspicious considering it came in the midst of a government shutdown and right before William Barr, a well-known advocate of states' rights, could be elevated to the top of the DOJ. He finally found himself with the influence he'd sought when his backing of Donald Trump helped get the controversial candidate elected. The content of the opinion didn't wasn't a shock considering Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson had long pushed for legislation banning online poker. The Trump Administration somewhat surprisingly reversed this stance with the release of its own memo in 2018. by releasing an opinion in 2011 that the Wire Act, which dated to 1961, applied only to sports betting. Originally, the Obama Administration's DOJ had cleared the way for online gambling legislation in the U.S. Supreme Court, there's little to stop the continued growth of online poker in the U.S. The state had brought suit against the government after a late 2018 memo changed the Department of Justice's stance on the matter. District Court in favor of New Hampshire.

That followed an initial, identical June 2019 ruling by a U.S. The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Wire Act applies only to sporting events and contests, meaning online lottery - and, of interest to the poker industry, interstate online poker - does not violate U.S. government, reported Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer in the case. New Hampshire won its second consecutive court victory against the U.S. The way may be clear for online poker legislation in the U.S.

How us law killed online poker