On Monday at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort, Kentucky, some of the industry’s leading authorities will meet to discuss the recent actions by Governor Steve Beshear, who has sought forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domains. The meeting is being organized by the Bluegrass Institute, which “promotes the ideas we think our founding fathers considered to be critical to our success as a state and a nation,” according to Jim Waters, the organization’s Director of Policy and Communications.
Waters told Poker News Daily that the group is in favor of “limited government, personal responsibility, and economic prosperity. We also conduct research on policy issues and are working to market our ideas and solutions.” The group has found itself in the middle of a struggle between Governor Beshear and the internet gambling industry. The Governor is calling of forfeiture of domains such as fulltiltpoker.com, pokerstars.com, ultimatebet.com, doylesroom.com, cakepoker.com, and absolutepoker.com. A judge in the case granted a continuance last week. Briefs were filed this afternoon and the case is scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, October 7th.
Waters added that the situation in the Commonwealth is grave: “We think the issue is very serious and could have ramifications beyond the area of gambling. It’s an act of censorship. One of the issues that we’re promoting is more transparency and more freedom. This is certainly moving in the wrong direction.”
According to a statement released by the Poker Players Alliance, which is responsible for representing players in the case in Kentucky, topics to be covered at Monday’s conference include “Does Kentucky have jurisdiction to seize these domain names? What are the national and international ramifications should Kentucky succeed in this seizure order? What threat does this action make to the future of internet freedom and technological innovation? Do domain names fit the Kentucky statutorily definition of a gambling device?”
In Kentucky, it appears as if the ban on internet gambling is being done to protect the state’s burgeoning horse racing industry as well as its lottery. However, according to Waters, the latter may be a bit more dubious: “This is unsound public policy. The Governor is trying to curb internet gambling, but I don’t think he knows that the Kentucky Lottery allows second chance tickets to be played online. How hypocritical and inconsistent is that? In total, this is going to set a really bad precedent for other states and even other counties.”
Briefs on both sides were filed for Judge Thomas Wingate today. Representing the internet gambling industry are several groups, including the PPA, Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), and the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA). In addition, a registrar appeared in court last week, though it was not clear which site or sites she represented. A lawyer on the State’s side argued that no one in the room had standing to sue since the “owners” of the domains were not present.
It is unknown whether the hearing on Tuesday will be the only one on the matter or if more will occur. Groups like the PPA, IGC, and iMEGA have set up shop in Frankfort, the state’s capital, in advance of Tuesday’s hearing. The Bluegrass Institute’s event occurs at 1:00pm local time on Monday and is described as an “emergency summit.” The Americans for Tax Reform will also be in attendance at the Capital Plaza Hotel.