Washington State residents urged not to attend World Series of Poker

Washington might not yet be deemed a police state yet but it might as well be.  Residents could expect to have armed forces invade their living rooms in the not-so-distant future thanks to strict new enforcement that has made online gambling a Class C felony. 

Governor Christine Gregoire's administration has made it clear that violators include not online poker players but web publishers and even local newspapers, one of which features a column from poker pro Daniel Negreanu. 

Director of the state's gambling commission, Rick Day, recently warned the Seattle Times.

"My suggestion to you is to remove from your paper any advice about online gambling and any links to illegal sites," Day said.

In response, a number of poker publications have cancelled subscriptions to Washington State residents.

Gambling911.com has recommended that Washington State residents not attend this year's World Series of Poker.  Most of the exhibitors will be online poker operators.

"We do not wish to see the folks from Washington State who allow Governor Gregoire's administration to take away their rights to gamble online exposed to this multi-billion dollar industry," commented Christopher Costigan, President of Gambling911.com.  "Washington State residents need to stay home and play in the numerous state run poker rooms or Indian casinos or bet online with state run horse racing websites.  These are deemed acceptable by the Gregoire administration." 

It is now illegal to play poker online in places like Seattle, Spokane and Olympia, Washington.  Gambling911.com is doing its part to ensure Washington State residence are aware of the new law being enforced by Gregoire

That's because the state's governor, Christine Gregoire, has not only taken it upon herself to outlaw online gambling, she's also made it a felony with the same punishment given to child predators, second offense drunk drivers and drug dealers.

Freedom of speech will ultimately take center stage as a result of this new law and Gambling911.com wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see the ACLU get involved as they have with states such as New Mexico, which attempted unsuccessfully to block its citizens from accessing online gambling websites via internet service providers.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer editorial board has suggested in a recent editorial that "Washington legislators would do well to retool their new Internet gambling law before the courts do it for them."

The law, which took effect June 7, seems to unjustifiably threaten free speech rights.

It makes it a felony if someone "knowingly transmits or receives gambling information" online. That's casting an unacceptably broad net.

What is the state's compelling interest in outlawing Internet gambling, as the federal government already has done? Can any state law really protect its citizens foolish enough to trust their fortune -- and their credit cards -- to clandestine croupiers?

The state's more logical, if cynical, vested interest is in preserving market share for its revenue-raising games, such as Lotto, or in protecting its home-grown tribal gambling industry.

In any event, the Legislature went too far in making it a felony to link to or merely refer to an online gambling site. It's indicative -- and a bit embarrassing -- that lawmakers exempted the news media.

"If the P-I puts it on the Internet," University of Washington law professor Stewart Jay says, "it's legal. If Joe Blow puts it on the Internet, it's illegal. ... When you discriminate between forms of speech and providers, the government has to provide a compelling reason."

The state has failed to do so with this law, so its prospects for surviving a court challenge are suspect.

A survey conducted by the paper revealed that nearly 78% of the readers believe Washington State should not outlaw online gambling.

Republicans have confirmed that 240 convicted felons and 60 other people voted illegally in the election that Democrat Christine Gregoire won by 129 votes. 

The Washington law, which upgrades online gambling from a misdemeanor, was an effort to be compatible with federal law, said state Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton.

The law applies to all online gambling except horse racing, which has been allowed through specially approved Web sites by the Washington Horse Racing Commission.

"Oh great, I can lose my ass betting horses online but it's illegal to play internet poker," commented one Washington State resident who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons.  "Glad to see the State has my best interests in mind."

Commission agents have already gone to the homes of suspected Washington State online gamblers, though no arrests were made.

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Alejandro Botticelli, www.gambling911.com

Originally published July 12, 2006 11:56 am EDT