Chalk one up for poker in Kentucky. A voice of reason came from the Kentucky Court of Appeals today, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA).
Judge Thomas Wingate previously ordered a December 3rd forfeiture hearing for the 141 gaming-related domain names that Gov. Beshear wanted seized, but the appeals court has stayed that hearing in order to conduct its own hearing on December 12th in Louisville, during which it will consider iMEGA\’s petition to overturn Wingate\’s original ruling. The courts will hear the iMEGA petition in conjunction with one filed by the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), both contending that the lower court did not have the jurisdiction to order the domain seizures in the first place.
We’re please that the Court of Appeals has given us the opportunity to challenge these seizures, said Joe Brennan Jr., iMEGA’s chairman. The commonwealth has tried to take these domains for their own financial gain, violating Kentucky law, exceeding their jurisdiction, and setting a terrible precedent in the process.