- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
busted under the Wire Act
Not a chance IMO. The wire act is very outdated as it pertains to the Internet, in fact I think the Wire Act and Internet are two entirely entities. The Supreme Court still must rule what should be encompassed within the wire act. Should it include the Internet? What is the Internet? Do we have jurisdiction over the Internet? Are fiber optics wires? Can Wire Act intent be used to govern the internet? Would WIFI communication be considered wires?
Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.[1]
So why can’t people sit in front of a computer and place an innocuous bet on a favorite pro or college sports team?
The answer is that it’s illegal.
IMO it is not illegal, what is illegal is the Governments and Agencies without cause violating individual privacy laws.
The Wire Act as applying to cyberspace is so ambiguous.
greek39
Things will change, but it will take a long time to change. If you read about the full implementation of UIGEA, many of its rules are “guidelines” for banks. As long as banks operate under these “guidelines”, they are in compliance. Again, if you read the nitty-gritty details, there really isn’t much that the banks have to actually do, to be in compliance with UIGEA. And as along as they are in compliance, they don’t run the risk of any non-compliance fines.
Politically, with Congress satisfaction at all-time lows, there is little advantage for any Congressman to jump aboard the overthrow-the-UIGEA bandwagon; hence, status quo at this point. There are still quite a few Bush holdovers working for the DOJ, and this is why you are reading about the prosecutions still. With the U.S. debt and deficit increasing by the day, eventually someone with clout will recognize (and push forward) a bill that will attempt to regulate the industry, so that tax revenue can be harnassed.
Until that time, it’s status quo. I think it will be like this for a couple more years, before anything substantial changes. Of course, the passing of the UIGEA had devastating effects on the industry, as we once knew it, so plenty of damage was done.
