Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008

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Kentucky hearing delayed until Friday

By Sarah Polson

The court hearing in Kentucky to determine whether the state can take control of 141 online gambling domain names has been rescheduled until Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

An Associated Press story about the matter didn't give a reason for the delay.

The hearing is the next step in a lawsuit filed by the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky against illegal online gambling sites.

A judge determined last week that there was probable cause to believe the domain names are being used in connection with illegal gambling in the states. The next hearing will determine if forfeiture of those domains will be required.

All gambling, apart from the state lottery and betting on horse races, is prohibited in Kentucky. The state's law also says that any gambling device or gambling record possessed or used in violation of the law is forfeited to the state.

The domain names for the online gambling companies, which include Bodog Poker, Full Tilt Poker, DoylesRoom and many others, could be considered a mechanism or gambling device used in violation of the state gambling laws.

The lawsuit is a move by Kentucky governor Steve Beshear to block the online gambling sites from doing business in the state.

Although these online gambling companies are based outside of the United States and operate legally in the jurisdictions where they are based, their domain names are held by a registrar in the United States.

The move has drawn opposition from residents of Kentucky as well as national opposition from the Poker Players Alliance.

For more information about the lawsuit, please read "Kentucky governor seizes gambling site domains."

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