In a letter addressed to Members of Congress, 60 Plus urged Congress to take action to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder’s unprecedented decision in December, 2011 to de-claw the Wire Act of 1961, which has resulted in dangerous and unregulated online gambling proliferating across the internet.

July 16, 2013

The Honorable Kelly Ayotte
United States Senate
Washington D.C.

Dear Senator Ayotte:

On behalf of our 7.2 million senior supporters and the 20 million-plus elderly Americans who regularly participate in state lotteries, I am urging you to take action to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder’s unprecedented decision in December, 2011 to de-claw the Wire Act of 1961, which has resulted in dangerous and unregulated online gambling proliferating across the internet.

This Justice Department decision is bad law and bad policy, made two days before Christmas without review or notice to Congress.  With one swipe of his pen Mr. Holder changed 50 years’ of established law upheld by both Republican and Democrat Administrations alike to prohibit the expansion of gambling across state lines via wire or internet.  Further this unilateral action undermines the intent of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed by Congress in 2006, robbing Congress of its rightful authority over trade and commerce.

While several states lobbied aggressively for this change in order to market their state lotteries online, Mr. Holder’s decision sadly leaves millions of seniors vulnerable to losing their life savings to online predators and overseas scam artists who have only been encouraged by this rule change.  Prosecutors are now left with fewer tools to prosecute illegal and fraudulent gambling websites, and the Justice Department in their haste to make this decision left a gaping hole in law enforcement and oversight of online gambling activities.

In short, this rule change is a disaster promising dire consequences for tens of thousands of Americans and their families.

The 60 Plus Association has long been an advocate of internet safety on behalf of seniors.  Whether it be alerting the elderly to threats of potential identity theft, credit card scams, or dangerous and illegal online pharmacies, we know seniors make an inviting target for those seeking to separate them from their money. Relaxed online gambling and lottery laws are not the solution to spendthrift state governments seeking to swell their coffers, but a tragedy in waiting for America’s elderly.  Swift action to remedy this problem is crucial.

We strongly urge you and your Congressional colleagues to reinstate the Wire Act or enact similar legislation to end the proliferation of online gambling and remove our government’s stamp of approval over internet games of chance that Mr. Holder’s action has created.  It’s time to stop gambling with seniors’ futures.

Sincerely,

Jim Martin
Chairman, 60 Plus Association