What are in the poker world wishing we could be like the competitive equestrian industry — with a stated exemption from the UIGEA … but apparently the Department of Justice is contending that betting on horses on the internet is still illegal:
The online horse betting industry says the IHA, in effect, amended the Wire Act the main federal anti-gambling statute but the justice department has stated publicly that it believes the Wire Act remains paramount and that interstate horse betting online remains illegal. […]
\”My gut feeling is that they haven\’t tried to prosecute somebody because they don\’t want to lose, because then you have case law that says they\’re wrong […] And I think they would lose,\” says Steven Barham, associate co-ordinator of the race track industry programme at the University of Arizona.
While most industries might be alarmed by a pronouncement by justice officials that it is operating illegally, the leading industry body takes the department\’s latest opinion with little more than a shrug. The willingness of established companies to defy the department highlights the industry\’s confidence that it has the upper hand in its analysis of the law.
Wow, sounds so much like poker in the \”old days.\” It also reminds me of 1) the impacts of badly crafted laws, which continue to need to be rewritten; and 2) how important the courts can be in determining who\’s interpretation of a bad law matters most.
