A fax received by Poker News Daily today just before 5:00pm ET stated that the ruling by Judge Thomas Wingate concerning the future of 141 internet gambling domain names will be delayed until Thursday due to a computer glitch. The one-page fax simply stated “Computer problems. Order will be issued tomorrow” and was faxed from Christine Richards, who is the Secretary to Judge Wingate.
A follow up phone call placed to Judge Wingate’s office confirmed the news. The receptionist stated that she expected the ruling to be handed down Thursday sometime during the early afternoon hours. Poker News Daily will follow up as soon as more information is available tomorrow. Judge Wingate was in court for most of the day on Wednesday, including as late as 4:00pm ET.
In the meantime, the Poker Players Alliance, which is the major lobbying arm for the online poker industry, has sent over 2,000 letters to Governor Steve Beshear and other state representatives. The organization has over 16,000 members in the Commonwealth of Kentucky alone as well as 1.2 million worldwide. The letter, which can be sent electronically on the organization’s website, states, “Poker is a proud American tradition. Presidents such as FDR and Harry Truman, Chief Justices such as William Rehnquist and William Howard Taft, members of Congress, generals, and average Kentuckians have enjoyed poker for more than 150 years. It is an honorable game.”
The PPA has submitted an amicus brief in the case and did not argue in front of Judge Wingate during last week’s hearing. The brief highlights that poker is a game of skill and that Kentucky state law holds that skill games “shall not be considered gambling.” The 141 internet gambling domain names that could be seized in the case include those belonging to casino sites as well as online poker sites.
In last Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Wingate stated that he needed one week to release a verdict. The case comes as a result of actions by Beshear, who issued the order to seize 141 internet gambling domain names. TwinSpires.com, which is a website that allows wagering on horse racing and owned by Kentucky-based Churchill Downs Incorporated, was not among those on the list.
More information will be available on Thursday, when the ruling is now expected.