Minnesota Releases 'Black List' of Online Poker & Internet Gambling Sites

The Alcohol & Gambling Enforcement Division within the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) has released the 'black list' of 200 online poker and Internet gambling Web sites, which they are instructing Internet Service Providers to block for Minnesota residents.

Though some large online poker sites are included on the list, such as Full Tilt Poker and Bodog (spelled BoDog), there are other large sites missing from the list, like PokerStars, Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, Lock Poker, Carbon Poker, Doyle's Room, and Cake Poker.

Everest Poker, which is the official sponsor of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), as well as CDPoker, TitanPoker, Mansion Poker, and Noble Poker also find themselves on the list, along with a number of other poker sites.

But a large part of the list is comprised of very small sites. Strangely, some sites that are closed were included (i.e. Pokerroom.com).

Most odd to appear on the list are companies who only take clients outside of the USA, including Ladbrokes' Casino. Most notable on the list is PartyGaming's PartyCasino (whose sister online poker room is PartyPoker) especially as PartyGaming pulled out of the USA market when the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed, and in April announced their $105 million Non-Prosecution Agreement with the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (USAO). Under the terms of the agreement, the USAO won't prosecute PartyGaming or any of its subsidiaries for providing internet gambling services to customers residing in the U.S. prior to the passage of the UIGEA.

iMEGA on the Case

In addition to working on the Kentucky domain seizure case and challenging the constitutionality of the UIGEA, the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) has set its legal team to work to challenge the Minnesota DPS order. iMEGA requested the list of the 200 "black listed" Web sites from DPS (which was initially denied) and has since received and published the Web site list, along with ISP letters on their site.

Click here to go to iMEGA's site to view the entire Black List and ISP letters sent demanding the blockage of Minnesota residents from accessing the black listed Web sites through their networks.

Joe Brennan Jr., chairman of the Washington D.C based not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the continued growth and innovation of the Internet, said, "We question how much thought was put into the selection of these sites."

He added, "To propose censoring Minnesota residents' Web access and not to know which sites are even in the US market makes me wonder just how seriously the DPS is taking this action. It comes off as a half-baked attempt at intimidation rather than thoughtful enforcement."

iMEGA did point out an interesting tidbit: BetUS.com, which at one time had an endorsement deal with former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, was one of the sites named on the Black List.

Read Related Article: