Hi folks,
Here you have it. The original court order for the seizure of the domains. http://www.point-spreads.com/downloads/Order%20of%20Seizure%20of%20Domain%20Names.pdf
The online casinos versus the state of Kentucky court cases has received an extension until the 7th. Freedom in America has won a small victory.
No need for me to reiterate what’s been said so nicely :-P
http://www.wztv.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.ky/2e573603-www.fox17.com.shtml
I will keep posting further updates.
Online casino’s live to fight another day!
At long last I have actually managed to get hold of a source within the Governor’s office! They confirmed a few things. Firstly, the government isn’t looking for any sort of taxation regarding online casinos. They just want to drive the online casino industry out of Kentucky. The residual damage of freezing the domains doesn’t concern them. The other issue as most people suspected is the protection of the horse racing gambling industry within Kentucky. Currently people from all over the place can place online bets on races being held in Kentucky. I suspect they expect a lot of business to come there way when the .coms get driven out, especially those involved in sports betting. The official stance as far as the Kentucky Governor’s office is concerned the online casino industry is completely illegal. They are concerned about these foreign online casino operations “preying” on their citizens. By the way, I can’t tell you how exciting it was to actually speak with a real live person within the Governor’s office!
I’ve been trying for a few days to get some sort of comment from the Governor’s office on this case and they have refused. They directed me to a Jennifer Brislin who is the communications director for the Kentucky Justice Department. Can’t get anything out of here either. No returned calls or emails. I know… it’s silly to think they would care about commenting on this ground breaking case in the online casino industry!
What really irks me is that it seems like they are just trying to hide from this case rather than come out and stand for what they are doing. I think a little debate now and then is a healthy thing. Only in this case there is no debate. Not to worry. Tomorrow is another day. I will keep trying to reach somoene who can make some sort of official statement and not hide behind some legal stuff.
Online casino players… stay strong.
Breaking news…The hearing in Kentucky regarding the decision to freeze 141 internet domains for online casinos has been delayed until tomorrow. The ruling was supposed to be given today by Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate, in Frankfort, Kentucky at 1:30 P.M. I haven’t been able to get any information regarding why there has been a delay. If anybody out there knows something please let us in on it.
The countdown is on for the decision in Kentucky regarding whether or not 141 internet domains are going to be frozen. The ruling is being presided upon by Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate, in Frankfort, Kentucky today at 1:30 P.M. Most specialist in the area of domain law seem to agree on one thing - a lawsuit like this would never hold up water on the Federal level. But that doesn’t seem to interest the state. All they are trying to do (and succeeding) is to scare away honest and legal online casinos.
When the crisis of 2006 occurred with the arrests of some top Neteller executives everyone in the industry said that all it would do was drive legitimate business out of the US and leave a void for online casinos that would be filled with shade illegal operators.
What’s so frustrating about this case is that the same thing will happen again. All this is a pain in the neck for online casino operators and for Microgaming but it is by no means a death blow for the business. I for one don’t understand why the US government can’t take a page out of the European law books and regulate the industry. I do realize that they are looking to protect local interests but they are completely missing the point. The money will flow out of their state anyway!
When will they learn??
So yesterday I tried to get some official statement from the Governor of Kentucky regarding online casinos. Needless to say my efforts weren’t very fruitful. There is a serious rumor spreading around industry insiders that the state is looking for some sort of financial gain from these casinos. Until we speak with someone official it will be impossible to confirm that charge. I would be inclined to ask them if they are going to plan on some sort of taxation policy as opposed to a complete shutdown.As soon as the Governor’s office opens this morning they will be hearing from me!
Quick update on this situation. There is supposed to be a hearing tomorrow in Kentucky regarding the domains. Our legal team doesn’t expect it to go well despite that fact that the case is completely bogus. From a legal standpoint it’s nonsense but that’s a tough sell in a court. Apparently the information I posted earlier regarding the optimism within Microgaming wasn’t exactly accurate.I am quite certain you’ll find most operators moving domains in the near future to jurisdiction that are outside the US. Microgaming and all their online casino operators are preparing infrastructure that will allow for a seamless transition for US players to continue to play at their favorite casinos.
There are some rumors that the Governor is simply trying to create an opportunity for a cash windfall for the state but I have been unable to confirm with any industry insiders.
It’s certainly going to be an interest few days in the online casino industry!
I have just heard from some industry insiders who are close to the top executives at Microgaming. They are fairly confident that this legal ruling will be overturned and the world will return to normal. As I mentioned in my previous post, many people who are involved in the online world think that this ruling would set a horrific precedent for the online community.
Having said that, most online casino companies are taking defensive measures to avoid future issues. Some are registering in the UK and others within the EU. There are quite a few operators taking a wait and see approach and have maintained operations as usual with their .com site.
Anybody out there have a crystal ball?
Any players out there from the state of Kentucky? If you are please get in touch with your friendly neighborhood Senator regarding the latest news.
I for one think this has gone way too far. The US government has started on a slippery slope of minimizing freedom. Today they’ll freeze domains from online casinos, tomorrow from other industries. If all it takes is an overzealous Governor named Steve Beshear to make these changes all major corporations better be careful.
What makes this seizure even more suspect is that no foreign publicly listed companys were on the list. To me this seems to show that the state of Kentucky is simply trying to scare away private legal entities and not end up in serious legal litigation with publicly listed corporations.
According to industry sources, there should be a final decision regarding the domains by tomorrow night. I guess we all need to keep our fingers crossed! Microgaming, who is the software provider for the Jackpot Factory Casino group, has their best and brightest legal minds working on this issue.
Stay tuned for further updates…
