Ladbrokes, PartyGaming, Paddy Power Monitor US Internet Gambling SituationWhile attending the European I-Gaming Congress & Expo in Barcelona next week, representatives from Ladbrokes, William Hill, PartyGaming, Paddy Power and a whole host of other Euro-based online gambling firms will be anxious to hear all the latest news regarding US law, specifically the matter concerning iMEGA vs. the US Government.
iMEGA President, Edward Leyden, will be speaking at EIG along with Gambling911.com founder, Christopher Costigan, as part of a panel discussion on US Internet gambling law. iMEGA is challenging the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act as being "unconstitutional" and a a US Judge will be rendering a decision in the coming weeks to determine if the UIGEA can be enforceable.
The government was less than commanding in its performance and the attorney representing the US, Jacqueline Coleman Snead, at times seemed "intimidated". She sat alone in the court room while the iMEGA team arrived with two powerful attorneys and its organization representatives.
The Honorable Judge Cooper aggressively challenged the US government and its Motion to Dismiss.
The US Government repeatedly claimed that iMEGA did not have the legal standing to argue first amendment law while also stating that first amendment law did not apply to this case.
Ms. Coleman Snead also claimed that the UIGEA was not intended to prosecute American citizens for betting online and that therefore no US citizen would be adversely affected by this law. iMEGA's attorneys refuted this and pointed out that the civil portion of the law mentions "any person" could be prosecuted.
Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy Power were all planning to aggressively enter the US online billion dollar online gambling industry just prior to the passage of the UIGEA last October. PartyGaming was forced out of the market and lost 80% of its customer base as a result. PartyGaming's Party Poker brand was once the biggest online poker room and twice the size of its leading competitor, PokerStars.
Leyden will likely be offering some of the most useful information for attendees of this year's European I-Gaming Congress & Expo, all of whom realize the incredible benefits that can be afforded by operating in the US.
Likewise, shareholders in publicly traded online gaming firms will also anxiously await Judge Cooper's decision in the coming weeks. The judge determined that "this was a case against a complicated backdrop" and would require her to review further over the coming weeks. No decision was made from the bench.
"We remain very confident and felt our side presented a very strong case," a represented from iMEGA.org told Gambling911.com Wednesday.
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Peyton O'Brien, Gambling911.com Senior Editor
Originally published September 26, 2007 12:25 pm ET
