Published: February 17, 2019

MGM Chief Criticizes DOJ's Online Gaming Opinion

In a quarterly earnings call Wednesday, MGM Resorts International chair and CEO Jim Murren was critical of a U.S. Justice Department opinion that he said threatens online gambling. 

The opinion interprets the federal Wire Act, which prohibits interstate betting, to apply to any form of gambling that crosses state lines, not just sports betting.

The opinion marks a reversal for the department, which under the Obama administration in 2011 said online gambling within states that does not involve sporting events would not violate the federal law. 

The 2011 opinion opened the door for states to bring online gambling to their residents, as long as it did not involve interstate sports betting. 

Murren described the updated opinion as “poorly written and unenforceable.”

https://knpr.org/headline/2019-02/mgm-chief-criticizes-dojs-online-gaming-opinion

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