Kentucky Online Gambling Domain Name Arguments Heard By Supreme Court

The state of Kentucky held firm to their belief on Thursday that they acted within state law when they seized 141 online gambling domain names. Attorneys for the gambling sites also held their ground.

Attorneys for the two sides made their cases in front of the Kentucky Supreme Court Thursday, and a ruling on which side is right may not come down for weeks, possibly even months. The two sides took turns arguing their points, trying to convince the state's highest court that their position is the correct one.

At issue is whether or not the state had the right to seize the domain names. The state contends that the gambling sites were being used for an illegal activity in Kentucky, online gambling. In their eyes, that gave them the right to seize the domains.

Lawyers for the sites, however, claim that online gambling is not illegal in the state. They argued that the Kentucky General Assembly has not made Internet gambling against the law, and therefore the state acted out of line when they seized the domain names.

An appeals court in Kentucky has already heard the arguments and has sided with the gambling sites. That action led to the state appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court. Attorney for the sites, Jon L. Fleichaker, believes this case should never have even been started.

The case in front of the Supreme Court comes at an awkward time for Governor Steve Beshear. He was the person responsible for the domain name seizures, and this week he has reiterated his position of endorsing expanded gambling in the state of Kentucky.

October 22, 2009
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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