Minnesota Drops Plan To Block Online Gambling Sites

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety acted out against online gambling earlier this year without the knowledge of the opposition they would face. They attempted to instruct Internet Service Providers to block access to Internet gambling sites.

On Friday, after facing an uphill legal battle, Minnesota dropped their enforcement action against ISP's. It is another victory for people who are looking to keep the Internet free from government interference.

"This is a great day for Internet freedom," said representative Pat Garofalo, "In the spirit of cooperation and in recognition of the rescission of these notices, I am more than happy to withdraw my bill and in its place sponsor a discussion aimed at establishing a framework for regulating and licensing the online gaming industry."

The Poker Players Alliance was a driving force behind the Bill being dropped. They had their members in Minnesota make it known that this type of Internet ban would not be accepted. The Interactive Media Entertainment Gaming Association also played a big part in today's decision.

The PPA has over 15,000 members in Minnesota, and they helped persuade Garofalo to change his stance on Internet gambling. He will now join a growing list of lawmakers that are trying to legalize online gambling in the US.

The effort is being led by Representative Barney Frank, who has recently proposed legislation that would overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Frank has proposed two Bills, one that would stop the UIGEA rules from being enforced in December, and another that lays the foundation for Internet gambling regulation.

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