Restoration of America's Wire Act

Bill: 114-s-1668
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
Introduced: 2015-06-24
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Gambling

Internet and video services

Internet, web applications, social media
Latest action: action_date: 2015-06-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-06-24
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Restoration of America's Wire Act</strong></p> <p>Amends provisions of the federal criminal code, commonly known as the Wire Act, to provide that the prohibition against using a wire communication facility for the transmission of bets or wagers, wagering information, or wagering proceeds shall: (1) apply to any bet or wager (currently, to bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest); and (2) include any transmission over the Internet carried interstate or in foreign commerce. </p> <p>States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt any state law prohibiting gambling or to alter, limit, or extend: (1) the relationship between the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 and other federal laws currently in effect, (2) the ability of a state licensed lottery or state licensed retailer to make on-premises retail lottery sales or to transmit information ancillary to such sales, (3) the ability of a state licensed gaming establishment or a tribal gaming establishment to transmit information assisting in the placing of a bet or water on the physical premises of the establishment, or (4) the relationship between federal laws and state charitable gaming laws. </p>

tv_txt: II 114th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1668 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 24, 2015 Mr. Graham (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein , Mr. Lee , Ms. Ayotte , Mr. Rubio , Mr. Coats , and Mr. Tillis ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To restore long-standing United States policy that the Wire Act prohibits all forms of Internet gambling, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Restoration of America's Wire Act . 2. Wire Act clarification Section 1084 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) by striking bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, and inserting any bet or wager, or information assisting in the placing of any bet or wager, ; (B) by striking result of bets or wagers and inserting result of any bet or wager ; and (C) by striking or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, ; and (2) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following: (e) As used in this section— (1) the term bet or wager does not include any activities set forth in section 5362(1)(E) of title 31; (2) the term State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States; (3) the term uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of any bet or wager includes any transmission over the Internet carried interstate or in foreign commerce, incidentally or otherwise; and (4) the term wire communication has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 ( 47 U.S.C. 153 ). . 3. Rule of construction Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed— (1) to preempt any State law prohibiting gambling; or (2) to alter, limit, or extend— (A) the relationship between the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 ( 15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq. ) and other Federal laws in effect on the date of enactment of this Act; (B) the ability of a State licensed lottery (including in conjunction with its supplier) or State licensed retailer to make on-premises retail lottery sales, including through a self-service retail lottery terminal, or to transmit information ancillary to such sales (including information relating to subscriptions or fulfillment of game play), in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws; (C) the ability of a State licensed gaming establishment or a tribal gaming establishment to transmit information assisting in the placing of a bet or wager on the physical premises of the establishment, in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws; or (D) the relationship between Federal laws and State charitable gaming laws.