It’s good news (for now) for online casinos as the Kentucky court of appeal overturned the ruling to seize the domain names of 141 online gambling sites.
Previously a ruling was made by Judge Thomas Wingate, and backed by Kentucky governor Steven Beshear, that any online casinos offering services and allowing players within the state of Kentucky to join and play were required to block access within 30 days of the decision. The original ruling in October claimed the seizures was lawful because online gambling in Kentucky is illegal. The controversial ruling had online gambling groups and players outraged with many seeing it as a tactic to help boost land-based casinos within the state of Kentucky while others argued the ruling was in an effort to curb underage gambling and gambling addiction.
The ruling affected many major online gaming sites including Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, Cake Poker, and PokerStars, who all operate in the state of Kentucky. Shortly after the ruling, one of the online casino industries top software providers, Microgamming, pulled out of the U.S. market altogether.
However now, after a 2-1 vote in favour, the Kentucky court of Appeals are not letting the state seize the domain names stating that under Kentucky Law the actual names are not devices of gambling.
It is good news for now though as this decision is expected to be appealed again and sent to the highest courts for a decision.
