Arguments are being heard today in the Franklin County Circuit Court in Kentucky regarding the attempted seizure of 141 gaming-related domain names.
At the request of Governor Steve Beshear, the Commonwealth of Kentucky filed a civil action on September 18, 2008 to order sites like Full Tilt, PokerStars, and Doyles Room seized if they didn\’t willingly forfeit their domain names, and they would be transferred to the Commonwealth. The order claimed, as did Beshear in his press conference, that the internet domains were \”used to promote, conduct, and/or advance illegal gambling within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.\” After a continuance, the hearing is today.
According to Gambling911, the Commonwealth of Kentucky seized some of those sought-after domain names last night, including UltimateBet.com, DoylesRoom.com, and CakePoker.com. The three sites are still running as usual, but the Commonwealth could reportedly stop them at any time. Holy Massacre of the Constitution! No need for panic yet….
Attorneys defending the sites, and even some simply standing up for the rights of online poker like iMega, are in court right now trying to stop the madness. Since Dan is on a Clonie-stalking cruise in the Bahamas business trip and I am holed up in my L.A. apartment, we were unable to get to Kentucky for the hearing today. But the PPA is there and will provide updates, and Gambling911 is live blogging from the courtroom.
Updates here as they become available…
