# Wire Act: 75 Stat. 491 (Public Law 87-216), 13 September 1961, adding 18 U.S.C. 1084

Canonical: https://mobfiles.org/items/statutes-at-large-75-stat-491-wire-act/

The 1961 Act adding 18 U.S.C. 1084, which made it a crime for a person in the business of betting or wagering knowingly to use a wire communication facility to transmit bets, wagers or wagering information across state or national lines.

Public Law 87-216 (S. 1656), dated September 13, 1961, is "An Act to amend chapter 50 of title 18, United States Code, with respect to the transmission of bets, wagers, and related information." It adds section 1084 to title 18.

Section 1084(a) applies to "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" (75 Stat. 491), and punishes the offense by a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. The section excepts news reporting, and transmissions of information from a State where betting on the event is legal into a State where it is legal. A common carrier must discontinue a facility after written notice from a law enforcement agency that it is being used to transmit gambling information.

The FBI's history essay for 1954 to 1971 says "Congress powerfully delivered, with illegal gambling laws that unlocked Mafia financial networks"; it does not name this Act. The research record notes that the statute's reach beyond sports wagering has been contested in Justice Department legal opinions; none of those opinions was opened for this archive, and this page describes only the 1961 text. Katz v. United States (1967), filed separately, arose from an indictment under section 1084. Section 1084 is listed in the 1970 RICO definition of racketeering activity.

## Sources

- U.S. Government Publishing Office (govinfo), United States Statutes at Large, vol. 75: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-75/pdf/STATUTE-75-Pg491.pdf
- FBI, History of the FBI: And Justice for All, 1954-1971: https://www.fbi.gov/history/history-of-the-fbi/and-justice-for-all