Nevada’s sportsbook operators could become unintended victims if Congress decides to pass a proposed bill that seeks to revise, and perhaps restore, the Wire Act of 1961.
The bill, titled “The Restoration of America’s Wire Act,” states the following objective:
“(To) Amend provisions of the federal criminal code, commonly known as the Wire Act, to provide that the prohibition against transmission of wagering information shall apply to any bet or wager, or information assisting in the placing of any bet or wager (thus making such prohibition applicable to all types of gambling activities, including Internet gambling).”
The state of Nevada, with the help of technology and legislation, has made great progress in recent years by offering expanded betting options; not only with mobile sports betting, which began in 2011, but also with online poker, which became legal in late 2013.
Currently, William Hill, CG Technology, Station, South Point and Coast offer sports betting apps. MGM and Caesars recently announced plans to offer mobile betting, while Westgate SuperBook and Wynn are widely expected to follow their path in the months to come.
Joe Asher, William Hill’s CEO, told KNPR that the proposed bill threatens to deliver a devastating blow to a mobile market that he says represents 40 percent of his company’s handle.
“We don’t necessarily think it is the intent of the bill,” Asher told KNPR. “But perhaps an unintended consequence would be to limit, if not take away, our ability to offer mobile sports betting.”
It remains possible, of course, that the bill will be rewritten to offer protection to online betting and poker within Nevada.
Sportsbooks across the state have at least 3.9 billion reasons why they hope that’s the case.