{"id":98036,"date":"2019-02-11T07:43:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T15:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=98036"},"modified":"2019-02-11T07:43:42","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T15:43:42","slug":"new-hampshire-lottery-prepared-to-sue-feds-over-wire-act-reinterpretation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/new-hampshire-lottery-prepared-to-sue-feds-over-wire-act-reinterpretation\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hampshire Lottery Prepared to Sue Feds over Wire Act Reinterpretation, as US AG Whitaker Denies Corruption"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Hampshire lottery officials have said they are prepared to sue the federal government if needed to protect the revenues the state derives from online ticket sales.<\/p>\n

\"New
Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Friday he had nothing to do with the revised opinion and denied having communications with Sheldon Adelson\u2019s people. Whitaker was testifying before a House Judiciary Committee focusing on the Mueller probe. (Image: Andrew Harnik\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The declaration comes as Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker on Friday vowed that \u201cnothing corrupt\u201d had occurred when the Department of Justice revised its opinion<\/a> of the Wire Act in a way that could stymie online gaming in the US.<\/p>\n

The DOJ has been accused of kowtowing to Republican megadonor and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a man who once said he would \u201cspend whatever it takes\u201d to see regulated online gaming wiped off the face of the earth.<\/p>\n

In January, the DOJ broadened the scope of the Wire Act to say it forbids all forms of online gambling across state lines \u2013 not just sports betting — reversing a 2011 opinion that paved the way for online gaming and lotteries.<\/p>\n

Impact on Lotteries <\/strong><\/h2>\n

New Hampshire\u00a0Lottery Executive Director Charles McIntyre told The Union Leader<\/em> that its \u201cvery narrowest interpretation,\u201d the new opinion could cost the state around $4 to $6 million this year and $6 million to $8 million next year — money that goes to funding education in the state.<\/p>\n

We went forward [with online lottery] with the best of intentions believing that all of this would be allowed and that\u2019s what is so troubling about this development,\u201d said McIntyre, adding that he had spoken with Governor Chris Sununu and Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald about the matter.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis is a serious enough threat to a major revenue source that I wanted them to be aware of it and to discuss what our options are,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Most regulated online gambling in the US occurs on an intrastate level, but — taken at its strictest interpretation — the opinion could mean that anything that crosses state lines through the intermediate routing of data could be deemed illegal, including the transmission of information that is completely incidental to gambling.<\/p>\n

A more generous interpretation would at the very least criminalize the Multi-State Lottery and the marketing of lotteries across state lines.<\/p>\n

Whitaker Denies Link to Adelson<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Friday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) asked Whitaker whether he had been involved in the January decision and whether he had ever had any communication with Adelson or his lobbyists.<\/p>\n

Whitaker replied he had not, on both counts, before adding, \u201cYour inference that somehow that process was corrupted or corrupt is absolutely wrong and the premise of your question I reject.\u201d<\/p>\n

This definitely bears further investigation,\u201d Raskin — who also happens to be a constitutional law professor — told the Huffington Post<\/em> afterwards. \u201cWhen and where and by whom remains to be seen.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Last week, the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries wrote to Whitaker to complain of the \u201csubstantial detrimental impact\u201d the opinion will have on lottery operations and the billions they generate for good causes.<\/p>\n

Separately, New Jersey AG Gurbir S. Grewal and Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro appealed<\/a> to Whitaker to overrule the opinion, calling it \u201cdeeply troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Hampshire lottery officials have said they are prepared to sue the federal government if needed to protect the revenues the state derives from online ticket sales. The declaration comes as Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker on Friday vowed that \u201cnothing corrupt\u201d had occurred when the Department of Justice revised its opinion of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":98038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,60,13699,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Hampshire Lottery Prepared to Sue Feds over Wire Act<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New Hampshire lottery ready to sue federal government over new DOJ Wire Act opinion. 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