Poker Industry Reacts to Kentucky Internet Gambling Hearing
On Thursday, attorneys representing the owners of 141 internet gambling domain names took to the floor of the Kentucky Supreme Court. Their goal: prevent the forfeiture of URLs belonging to industry giants like PokerStars, Ultimate Bet, and Full Tilt Poker.
Twenty-four hours later, the online poker industry has had an opportunity to digest the proceedings, which played out on Frankfort. Among those looking on via a live webcast of the 90-minute oral arguments was Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas, who told Poker News Daily from Washington, D.C., “Aside from wishing I could be down there, I think the presentation of the prosecution was extremely weak and there were a lot of holes in it in that the Supreme Court justices pointed out. The attorneys for the side of the online sites did a very good job of presenting compelling, reasonable reasons for dismissing this case.”
Word of the seizure broke last September and sent shockwaves throughout the internet gambling industry. If successful, the action by the Commonwealth would render the 141 domain names inaccessible not just in Kentucky, but also worldwide. Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) attorney Ian Ramsey told Poker News Daily, “We felt very good about the arguments we presented. We felt we had the opportunity to present the material issues for this court to consider and welcome a well-reasoned decision.” When the Kentucky Supreme Court will hand down a decision is anyone’s guess; timelines have ranged from 60 days to four months.
Present in the courtroom on Thursday with Ramsey was PPA Kentucky State Director Rich Muny, who has been intricately involved at the local level in the case. Muny took time out from lunch shortly after the hearing and noted, “I thought it went really well. The justices heard from both sides and asked informed questions of everyone. We had great legal counsel in the case and it seemed like questions were targeted more at the Commonwealth than at us, which may indicate which way they’re leaning. It would be worse if we got peppered with difficult questions.” Ramsey added that the six justices present asked considerably more questions than they have in past hearings.
Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) counsel Jon Fleischaker was the third attorney to take to the podium on Thursday. His animated testimony seemed to speak volumes about the frustrated nature of the industry, which has several of its most well-known domain names at risk. iMEGA Chairman Joe Brennan told Poker News Daily, “John brought everything to the floor that a lot of people would have liked to see up to this point. John brought the passion today that a lot of people in the industry have felt. This is something that’s just plain wrong and it was great to see that today in court.” Fleischaker called the prosecution’s arguments “unheard of” and “wrong.”
On whether anything in Thursday’s hearing took Brennan and company by surprise, the iMEGA executive commented, “I thought everything went according to plan. We knew the cards that the Governor and the Secretary’s attorneys had with their briefs. They came out of the gate with a weak hand. They continue to make assertions and misrepresent the law and the status of internet gambling.”
In the process, Commonwealth attorney Eric Lycan labeled iMEGA and the IGC “illegal gambling trade associations.” Lycan added that the confiscated domain names would be put up for public auction, following similar action undertaken in the past by the IRS.
A two-to-one ruling by the Kentucky Court of Appeals in January in favor of the internet gambling industry prompted the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet to appeal.
Related Poker News:
- Seven-day Wait Period Announced in Kentucky Domain Seizure
- Kentucky Court Affirms Seizure of Poker Domain Names
- Kentucky Appellate Court Rules Against Online Gambling Domain Seizures
- Kentucky to Take Internet Domain Seizure Case to State Supreme Court
- Court Hears Kentucky Poker Domain Case - 10-26-09
- IMEGA Refiles With the Kentucky Supreme Court
- iMEGA Files Petition for Dismissal in Kentucky Appeals Court
- Six Kentucky Congressmen Support Pushing UIGEA Deadline Back One Year
- Praise for US Suspension of UIGEA
- PPA Submits Amicus Brief in Kentucky Online-Gambling Domain Seizure
- Stay Granted in Kentucky Domain-name Seizure
- Kentucky Supreme Court Seizure Ruling
Casino poker language:
- LIVE [CARD] - In Stud, a card probably not held by other players.
- BUNNY - An eight. So named because one can easily draw "rabbit ears" above the numeral 8, "paws" in the middle and "feet" at the bottom. (Do this only at home, and not on cards that will be used for play.)
- SMALL BLIND - In games with two blinds the first blind is the SMALL BLIND because it is usually one-half (or less) the second or large blind.
- BICYCLE - The best possible low hand: A-2-3-4-5. More common term: WHEEL.
- POCKET ROCKETS - In Hold'em, a pair of aces for hole cards.
- DOUBLE BELLY BUSTER - A two-way inside straight. E.g., 3-5-6-7-9.
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