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Washington State Ban on Online Poker UpheldFri, May 16th, 2008 @ 12:00am Lee Rousso presented his arguments yesterday in court regarding the unconstitutionality of the state of Washington's ban on playing online poker, but the judge did not agree, so the ban making playing online poker a Class C felony remains in force. The state ban, which was passed in 2006, prohibits Internet-based card games such as Texas Hold'em that poker players in Washington have used to qualify for large prize pool tournaments played both live (like the World Series of Poker) and online. Other persons convicted of a Class C felony in the state of Washington include those guilty of possessing child pornography, stalking, drive by shootings, threatening the governor, family abandonment, heroin possession, unauthorized abortions or committing grand theft auto. The same punishment for playing online poker has been criticized as excessive by many state residents. Lee Rousso, lawyer, former gubernatorial candidate and Poker Players Alliance (PPA) regional director for the state of Washington, originally filed the lawsuit on the first day of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event, and has traveled a long legal road to finally get his day in court. In defense of the ban, Lawmakers claimed the ban was passed to make the state compliant with the Federal Wire Act that prohibits online sports gambling. Rousso says the ban doesn't put the state in compliance with the Federal Wire Act as it claims to do. He claims that instead, it protects Washington's own in-state gambling industry, which includes live card rooms and casinos that contribute to state revenues, from online poker competition. Thus it violates the Commerce Clause contained within the constitution which prohibits individual states from enacting laws that discriminate against interstate businesses. State attorneys expressed their pleasure with the judge's decision to uphold the online ban. Just before the hearing, Rousso told Phyllis Fletcher of KUOW NEWS that should he lose in court after his arguments were heard, that he would appeal the verdict. After the negative verdict was delivered, Rousso remained optimistic, saying, "Even though it was a loss today, I still think some good things will come of it." The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) had organized a rally immediately following the hearing to show their support for Rousso's efforts. Approximately fifty people, including professional poker players Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch, attended the rally along with a number of media outlets. Read Related Articles:
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UIGEA Delayed 6 Months in Temporary Victory for Online Poker Days before the December 1 deadline for implementing the UIGEA, the U.S. government announced a six-month postponement of the poorly defined anti-gambling regulations. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board jointly released a statement moving the deadline for UIGEA compliance to June 1, 2010.
Fabrice Soulier Joins Everest Poker's Pro Roster To further strengthen its support for French poker in anticipation of the opening of that market, Everest Poker has signed renowned French poker pro Fabrice Soulier as its latest ambassador.
HHPT Co-Sponsors Bayou Poker Challenge Ladies Event Dec. 20 The HighHeelsPokerTour (HHPT), the first all women's poker tour launched on the East coast, will wrap up their 2009 schedule at Harrah's New Orleans on December 20th where they will co-sponsor the Ladies Event #14 no-limit Hold'em at 12 pm.
OPPAGA Reports on Florida's Online Poker Options Given that UIGEA permits individual states to regulate online poker, the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) published a report this week presenting three options available to Florida State lawmakers in order to protect consumers from unlawful internet poker: regulate it, prohibit it, or carry on with the status quo pending federal legislation.
BC Poker Champion Arrested, Charged with Manslaughter Just two days after taking down the BC Poker Championships Main Event, Sophon Sek of Cloverdale, BC, was arrested in connection with one of the most storied crimes in the Province's history.
Local Businessman Bags European Poker Tour Vilamoura Bling The European Poker Tour rolled into the Casino Vilamoura last week, instantly generating the richest poker prize pool in the nation of Portugal's history.
Keikoan Captures Harvey's Lake Tahoe WSOPC Championship This week marked the finale of the biggest annual tournament series in Northern Nevada, the WSOP Circuit championship at Harvey's Lake Tahoe. While the Main Event saw only a modest turnout, it did boast of a tough final table, and a WSOP bracelet owner as the eventual champion.
WSOP Main Event Champ Joe Cada to Appear on Letterman The poker world will receive some late night attention tonight as "The Kid" Joe Cada, the youngest champion in the four decade history of the World Series of Poker Main Event, takes a seat next to embattled talk show host David Letterman.
First Korean Champ of Asia Pacific Poker Tour Crowned in Cebu Another stop on the Asia Pacific Poker Tour is in the books, this time it's the APPT Cebu in the Philippines, and for the very first time a Korean player has come out on top.
Pollack Done as Commish of World Series of Poker Just three days after crowning Joe Cada as the 2009 Main Event champion, officially closing the special 40th anniversary run of the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey Pollack has resigned his post as Commissioner of the WSOP. |
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