N.D. attorney general says give up on Internet poker

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem is advising North Dakota lawmakers that it's time to give up the idea of licensing online poker sites in the state now that the federal government has passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

State Representative Jim Kasper has tried in recent years to get North Dakota to license and regulate Internet poker sites. In September, before President Bush signed the SAFE Port Act which included the UIGEA, Kasper had said he planned to continue his efforts to license and regulate Internet poker in the state.

Previously Stenehjem had remained neutral on the issue, but now says that if Kasper tries to bring an Internet poker bill up in the next legislature, he will have to oppose the idea. He believes that the new federal law blocks state licensing of Internet poker sites and would prevent North Dakota banks from being involved like Kasper had originally intended.

Kasper first attempted to pass legislation legalizing online poker in North Dakota in 2005. His bill passed in the state house, but was voted down in the senate.

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