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A Kentucky judge has ruled that 141 online gambling domain names will be turned over to the commonwealth on November 17. A hearing is scheduled for that date whereby owners of the said domain sites must show up in person to show that their respective websites are blocking access to Kentucky residents. Website owners would not be permitted to have another party - including legal counsel - represent them on their behalf.
Attorneys for the online gambling industry were on conference call at 4:30 pm EST discussing whether to pursue an appeal.
Judge Wingate has refused to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block access to online casinos in Kentucky.
In determining his decision, Judge Thomas Wingate cited an older statute that has since been replaced by another statute in regard to "gambling devices".
Wingate said online casinos that don't block access to their Web sites in Kentucky could be ordered to forfeit their domain names
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear brought the suit claiming that these 141 online gambling websites were cutting into the economic well being of his state.
This decision is being seen as a dangerous precedent that could have serious ramifications for the Internet in general.
Summary Breakdown:
*Judge Wingate says he will let owners of domains come to a Nov. 17 forfeiture hearing in Frankfort, Kentucky. If they show that they are blocking KY traffic, he will dismiss the forfeiture of their site. Otherwise, they will forfeit.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
