Beshear administration will appeal online gambling ruling
By Jack Brammer – jbrammer@herald-leader.com
Gov. Steve Beshear
FRANKFORT – Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration will appeal a court ruling this week that said the state lacks jurisdiction to seize 141 online casinos’ Internet domain names to keep them from operating within its borders.
“The Commonwealth will continue its action to protect Kentucky citizens from illegal Internet gambling operations, and appeal the recent Court of Appeals ruling to the state Supreme Court,” Justice and Public Safety J. Michael Brown said in a statement Wednesday.
“The evidence demonstrated that illegal and unregulated activity is occurring in Kentucky, and that millions of dollars are being lost as a result of that activity, a fact that wasn’t disputed in Tuesday’s ruling.”
Brown noted that the appellate court ruling was 2-1, and that a Franklin Circuit judge had sided with the state.
Several officials with the gambling sites had expressed hope that the state would drop the lawsuit and focus on regulation and taxation of the Internet games.
“Kentucky residents should be outraged that the Commonwealth is investing another minute of time and another dollar of scarce resources in this quixotic case,” said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. “The appeals court’s sound rejection of the Commonwealth’s case should have ended this legal debacle in its tracks.”
About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com
IMHO | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
The State Supreme Court will not over rule the Court of Appeals. Beshear should focus his attention elsewhere.
David Adams | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
Does he not have any better ideas than this? I guess Beshear is already counting on his bailout from Obama. That should fix things up — for about six months.
danron | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
Who in their right mind thinks beshear is doing this for the citizens of Kentucky. He is doing it for one group and one group only…the rich and elite of the horse industry.
Can beshear not find better ways to spend the states money than pursuing such frivolous activities. He must really be beholden heavily to his cronies in the horse industry.
What a loser we have for a governor!
LouLex | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
I placed bets on last Sunday’s playoff games via the web. Are they coming after me now?
David Adams | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
You’re safe, LouLex. But Beshear now says the Commonwealth owns the NFL.
whadam00 | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
Actually, there’s no waste of government resource here as the government is being represented by outside counsel on a contingency basis. Funny how the same people who oppose track gambling want to criticize-with the other mouth-the decision to challenge online gambling at no cost to the taxpayers.
Clay | Jan 22, 2009 | Reply
No cut for the state? Gambling is Gambling I thought
Is there a constitutional scholar in the house | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
are there no constitutional lawyers on Beshear’s staff? Or Conway’s? Don’t they know anything about the interstate commerce clause?
Bleu | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
My thoughts exactly on the interstate commerce clause. I wonder when the out of state defendants are going to tie their suit to the expanded gambling legislation and claim that Kentucky is discriminating to promote in state interests.
Infantry42 | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
Whadam00 stated “Actually, there’s no waste of government resource here as the government is being represented by outside counsel on a contingency basis”
Wrong, this case is taking up time in our court system and it is costing the state money.
Has any citizen really complained about these sites like Beshear claims? No one is being forced to gamble on-line. Does Beshear actually think that if I can’t play poker on-line I’m going to use that money to bet on horses? NO. Look at history, prohibition doesn’t work. Regulate on-line poker and let the sites pay taxes, the state could use the money.
KYwolverine | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
This is just ridiculous. If it were actually about “protecting” the citizens of kentucky, why hasn’t Beshear targeted the domains of out-of-state and off-shore “escort services”? Or better yet, al-Qaeda? Danron has it right – a special interest group is working Beshears puppet strings and the rest of the country is laughing at Kentucky.
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