Kentucky Gambling Update

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) has submitted its brief to the Kentucky State Supreme Court in good time for the June 1st deadline for submissions, in its opposition to an attempt by Gov. Steven Beshear to seize the rights to 141 Internet domain names.

And in an intriguing addition, iMEGA’s attorneys have asked the court to review a video tape of the secret proceeding Gov. Beshear’s attorneys used to get property seizure orders for the domain names, without notifying the property owners or giving them the opportunity to be represented.

iMEGA and a coalition of other groups has already prevailed over Gov. Beshear in a 2-to-1 majority decision from the commonwealth’s Court of Appeals back in January 2009. The appeals court blocked a lower court’s seizure orders (see previous InfoPowa reports). Gov. Beshear wanted the domain names, all related to gambling, to force online gaming firms to block Kentucky residents from using their sites, and to protect the commonwealth’s in-state gambling operations from competiton.

“We’re very confident the State Supreme Court will reach the same conclusion as the Court of Appeals,” said Joe Brennan Jr., chairman of iMEGA. “It’s too bad Gov. Beshear wants to keep fighting, but since he’s not paying for his attorneys, I guess he doesn’t care how long this takes or how much he ties up Kentucky’s courts with this doomed campaign.”

Gov. Beshear is represented by two private out-of-state law firms that have taken the legal fight on under a contingency contract, one that gives them up to one-third of any financial windfall that may result from the governor’s suit, iMEGA claims.

The effort to block Kentucky’s actions received support from a broad coalition of technology and Internet rights groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), the Internet Commerce Association (ICA), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Club for Growth, eBay, Network Solutions, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC).

Cryptologic 14 top games to be provided to Loto-Quebec - 02/08/2012 : The companies have signed a multi-year agreement that will see Cryptologic providing a portfolio of quality games to the Societe du jeu virtuel du Quebec, the online gaming division of the provincial state lottery corporation Loto-Quebec, known as Espacejeux.

Utah : Online Gambling : HB108 - 02/08/2012 : An intrastate attempt by Utah politician Stephen Sandstrom to introduce state legislation banning any legalisation of internet gambling has failed at the start gate.

MORE U.S. DISCUSSION ON INTERNET GAMBLING DUE THIS WEEK - 02/08/2012 : Interest in online gambling in the United States is set to continue on Thursday this week when the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs meets to hear the views of a wide cross section of interested parties on the possible impact of legalised internet gambling on tribal gaming.

Judge wont dismiss DoJ Black Friday charges - 02/08/2012 : Former Utah banker John Campos and e-processor Chad Elie, who face charges relating to the payment processing of online poker transactions, suffered a setback Tuesday when a Manhattan judge refused to allow their motion for dismissal of Black Friday indictments against them.

ANOTHER MAJOR INTERNET GAMBLING BUST IN MALAYSIA - 02/08/2012 : Police units in Malaysia raided a series of premises in a week long anti-online gambling operation, seizing 225 computers and detaining 47 men, according to reports from the Bernama news agency. All of the detained men were later released on bail.