By
Dan |
Published
Sep 26 2008, 08:41 PM
A judge in a Franklin County, Kentucky courtroom has ordered a continuance in the case involving what would have been a forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which would then block access to these sites for its residents. Judge Thomas Wingate, in a Friday hearing, ordered both parties involved to submit briefs, noting that the case is “very complex.” Representing the internet gambling industry are several large organizations including the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), and the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). PocketFives.com sat down with Rich Muny, Kentucky State Director for the PPA, to talk about the hearing.
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steve Beshear, has tried to rid online gambling entirely by seizing control of 141 internet gambling domain names, including those for Bodog, PokerStars, and Full Tilt Poker. Muny describes what the state argued on Friday: “Their point was to make counsel on our site identify who the owners of the domains are in order to grant standing. The judge permitted all of the testimony on both sides.” The IGC and iMEGA are both expected to claim standing because many of their members are the internet gambling sites that are affected.
Meanwhile, the PPA has encouraged its members in Kentucky to call and write the Governor’s office voicing their displeasure. John Pappas, the PPA’s Executive Director, commented in a press release released shortly after the continuance was passed down, “We will continue to communicate our position with Governor Beshear and other state elected officials through our grassroots network and we look forward to working with them and other interested parties as this case moves forward.”
Pappas told PocketFives.com that the PPA got what it was looking for initially: “We wanted to get a continuance so that they couldn’t enact the order. We wanted to get more time to prove our case.” Central to the PPA’s argument is that online poker is considered to be a skill game in the Commonwealth: “The actions by the Commonwealth of Kentucky are not only extreme, but groundless in that it can be clearly proven that poker is indeed a game of skill and not chance and thereby poker Web sites should not be part of the state’s action.” In addition to going after online poker sites like Absolute Poker, Beshear is also attacking online casinos and sports books.
The Associated Press noted that some internet gambling firms had already stopped accepting Kentucky residents prior to the hearing on Friday. An official of the Commonwealth told the AP, “Goldencasino.com notified Kentucky account holders by e-mail Tuesday that its Web site will “no longer accept play from residents of Kentucky.” Despite the continuance, the effects of the case may already be taking effect.
Kentucky is also home to the Kentucky Derby, which takes place on the first Saturday of May. The site TwinSpires.com, which allows online betting on horse racing, advertises on the official site for Churchill Downs. The Associated Press confirmed that part of the reason for the attempted seizure was to preserve the horse racing industry: “Beshear said this week that illegal online gambling sites are ‘leeches on our communities,’ which hurt Kentucky's signature industry, horse racing. He said Kentuckians spend ‘tens of millions of dollars’ a year on illegal Internet gambling.”
Each side has one week to present their briefs to the court. For more information, check out the official website of the Poker Players Alliance.