Will the Wire Act Be Enforced?
Currently, only three states have legalized online gambling. Several other states have proposed legislation to legalize online gambling, but the federal government has yet to enact any legislation.
The US Department of Justice has announced that it will enforce the Wire Act, a law enacted in 1997 that prohibits gambling on the Internet. The Department of Justice claimed the law is needed to combat the growing problem of illegal online gambling.
While it may be true that the Wire Act was intended to combat Internet gambling, some argue that it has no legal basis. It is true that Internet gambling has become more prevalent and lucrative over the years. In fact, a Frost & Sullivan study found that online gambling revenues in 1998 exceeded $830 million.
The US Department of Justice has also been studying online gambling regulations. It is estimated that ten percent of American adults bet at least once a week on casino games.
The Internet has been a powerful force in the history of commerce. In the early days, it was difficult for the government to police the Internet. In the late 1990s, online gambling was a popular pastime for many Americans. A few gambling sites were operating in 1997, but by the end of the decade, there were over 200.
The first online poker rooms began to pop up in the late 1990s. One such site was the Liechtenstein International Lottery.
A study from the Harvard Medical School found that most online gamblers are moderate gamblers. That’s not to say that they don’t spend money, but the vast majority are spending very little.