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A number of online gambling websites have obtained brand new domain names in the event that the commonwealth of Kentucky gets away with seizing up to 141 such URLs named in a complaint.
Kentucky received court permission to seize 141 gambling Web sites' domain names as it tries to put them out of business there. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) said at a press conference that the gambling-friendly state is taking "unprecedented action" against sites that "siphon off money from regulated and legal games," such as the state lottery and thoroughbred racing. Kentucky has lost "tens of millions" to unlicensed gambling, he said. Franklin
County Judge Thomas Wingate ordered the domains transferred to Kentucky, "an important first step" in keeping Kentuckians from accessing the sites and forcing sites to pay damages, Beshear said.
The state's Justice and Public Safety Cabinet had asked the court to force sites simply to bar access to Kentucky users, a practice common in Communist China, and if not, to hand over the domain names, according to a written statement.
Beshear has even made the outlandish claim that online gambling funds terrorism, something that has never remotely been proven.
A hearing was rescheduled for 3:30 pm Friday. Dinsmore & Shohl LLP will be appearing on behalf of the industry. The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association President, Edward Leyden, will also be on hand during the hearing.
"In exercising this standing, iMEGA has assembled what may be one of the most talented, experienced, and certainly well-respected white-collar defense teams in the country, BAR NONE.," Leyden reassured. "In short, we provide individuals and companies that may be affected by this Kentucky action with the highest quality of legal representation that is second to none while, at the same time, the opportunity to remain anonymous by letting iMEGA be the face before the court--which is precisely what associational standing is meant to accomplish."
A number of websites are prepared to change their domain names over in the event their current URL is changed. GoldenCasino.com has already done so and is back up as NewGoldenCasino.com.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
