Poker News
There's always
something happening in the world of online poker... the
latest
big match-up between top pros ...big MTT events, dramas,
hot-streaks, top stories...Poker-Ropes brings it all to you...
Minnesota Wages War Against Online Poker, Seeks to Block 200
Sites
A
complete list of 199 poker sites has been furnished by the state of
Minnesota,
which is ordering that their public ISP
companies block them from state residents. The
domain
entries were reportedly drawn at random from a much larger list of
sites
assembled by the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement
Division (AGED), which is a part
of Minnesota's Department
of Public Safety.
The order is already coming
under attack from several different groups, including
Poker
Players Alliance, who assert that it represents a twisting of state
and
constitutional law. The Minnesota state director
of the Poker Players Alliance said,
"We see headlines like
this coming from Communist China, but never expected it
could
happen here in Minnesota. This is about keeping the internet
free from
censorship and ensuring that law abiding
citizens can enjoy a game of Texas Hold Em
in the comfort
of their own homes, weather its online or with a group of friends."
This is just another chapter in the long political debate
over internet gambling. The
major issues remain
legally obscure due to lack of clear and often contradictory
national
legislature. In 2002 the US Court of appeals for the fifth
circuit declared that
non-sports wagering incurred debts
were not illegal, as they went unstipulated in the
"Wire
Act". In 2006 Rep Rob Goodlatte, R-Va., inserted last minute
material into a
security bill which made it illegal for
credit card companies to process online bets, and
President
Bush signed it into law. In 2008 this was approved by the
Treasury
Department, but the decision was delayed due to
protests from politicians who
point out that the bill does
not adequately define what "internet gambling" is.
Ultimately
this left it up to credit card companies and banks to interpret
national and
state law themselves, and make their own
decisions.
Rep. Frank said this week that new
legislation will be introduced which would overturn
the
2006 bill and the Treasury Department's decision.
|
|
