WILL BLACK FRIDAY DERAIL LEGALISATION EFFORTS?

Posted 5/30/11 :

WILL BLACK FRIDAY DERAIL LEGALISATION EFFORTS?
 
Nevertheless, a positive view on US internet gambling's future
 
Jay Hancock, a respected columnist for the Baltimore Sun, wrote a savvy and interesting op-ed article on the current state of online gambling play in the United States this week, examining the Black Friday and Blue Monday enforcement actions and quoting knowledgeable experts on the situation.
 
Jeff Ifrah, a Washington-based lawyer who has represented Internet gambling defendants, opined that the recent New York and Maryland indictments have probably stalled state and federal legislative efforts to legalise online gambling.
 
"It remains to be seen whether the momentum that was present prior to Black Friday can be reinitiated," he said, after opining that the faux processing company set up by federal authorities to entrap operators  was a brilliant move.
 
"That's a brilliant move on the part of the prosecutor – having undercover agents present themselves as legitimate processors and gathering evidence for statements against interest from the operators directly," said Ifrah.
 
"It's a much better way of building your case."
 
Hancock came to the conclusion that internet gambling legalization in the United States was inevitable.
 
"Bet on it. Internet gambling is legal in the U.K. and much of Europe. Someday soon taxes from the likes of Absolute Poker and PokerStars will help pay the salaries of Rosenstein, Bharara and the others who have been persecuting them," he wrote.
 
The article is well worth a read and can be found here:
 
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-hancock-maryland-online-poker-20110529,0,5264858.column?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+baltimoresun%2Fbusiness%2Frss2+%28Top+business%29.