Online Casino Blog

Change has come on two fronts this week: A new United States President and a positive verdict for the freedom of online casino gaming.

Three judges from the Kentucky Court of Appeals have ruled to repeal the seizure of international casino gambling domain names by a Kentucky court judge. In the ruling, the judges stated that they felt that the commonwealth of Kentucky had gone beyond its jurisdiction by seizing 141 international internet casino domain names.

After the original ruling calling for the seizure of these domain names, there was an outcry from the owners of these domain names, casino gaming loyalists, and internet associations like the Interactive Gaming Council, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky, the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA), the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Poker Player Alliance (PPA). The efforts from these groups led to strong legal arguments that have led to this positive decision in favor of the online casino industry.

“This is a tremendous victory for Internet freedom and the rights of Kentucky residents who enjoy playing online poker. We are pleased that the appeals court has forcefully reversed Judge Wingate’s earlier ruling and confirmed many of the arguments that have been raised in opposition to the seizure effort. The Court of Appeals has agreed with the PPA’s position that Judge Wingate did not have jurisdiction to issue the order that he entered against these domains and that Secretary Brown has no legitimate right to deprive the citizens of Kentucky of the legal right to play poker online,” said Poker Player Alliance Executive Director John Pappas.

The original Kentucky seizure was led by attorneys working on a outsource contingency basis. Kentucky Governor Steven Lynn “Steve” Beshear (Democrat) led this charge, without consulting the state attorney general on the issue. Many feel the reason for this unprecedented seizure of domain names was due to lobbyists from the Kentucky horse-racing industry and Governor Steve Beshear’s own campaign promises of land gambling growth in the state of Kentucky.

“On behalf of the thousands of PPA members who live in Kentucky we hope that Governor Beshear and Secretary Brown will abandon this misguided effort and focus new energies into regulation and taxation of Internet poker,” said Rich Muny, who is the Kentucky State Director for the Poker Player Alliance and currently resides in Union, Kentucky. “This common-sense approach would benefit Kentucky’s poker enthusiasts and the revenue will benefit the state as a whole. Rather than spending hard to find dollars on this case, the Governor could actually turn this into a much needed new revenue stream for the Commonwealth.”

Unfortunately this triumph may come with more legal battles as the state of Kentucky is considering appealing this decision.

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