Well, that is definitely what the Wire Act addresses (taking bets over the phone). But I looked it up and I see that Caruthers was likely arrested because his company took bets by phone, not over the net. However, the legal opinions I’ve read do say that the Wire Act can easily be applied to the Internet for sports bets (though not for casino/poker). I’ll update the article accordingly.
I’m thinking of no longer promoting Bodog Casino because of their risky activities:
(1) They take sports bets.
(2) They take sports bets over the phone.
(3) They take U.S. player money through U.S. banks (online checks).
My reluctance is that I specifically chose Bodog because I think they provide the best player experience, and I don’t know that I’ll find another casino that’s comparable. Any affiliate manager reading this is welcome to invite me to join their program IF they have a casino that meets ALL the following criteria:
(1) No bloated/cumbersome Microgaming software.
(2) No popups/popouts/Javascript alert messages on the casino’s website.
(3) Free-play games: are available with no registration, play in the browser, play in the same window (not an annoying separate window), and work on Macs.
(4) Player email addresses aren’t shared with other companies.
I’m not interested in casinos that don’t meet these minimum standards.