[punchmaster]

Wishful thinking or real?


http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-...rg-012909.html

Joe Brennan, Jr., founder of the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association believes there is an excellent chance a U.S. Appeals Court could rule in its favor some time in the next few months. iMEGA (see website here) is challenging the enforcement policies of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) passed in October of 2006, calling it "Unconstitutional". The online gambling trade organization, which represents several dozen members, recently won a landmark appeal in the commonwealth of Kentucky to stop the seizure of 141 Internet gambling domain names including FullTiltPoker.com and PokerStars.com.
But it's an unrelated decision by a U.S. Supreme Court that has Brennan, Jr. more confident than ever.
Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court announced it would not review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia (the same court where the iMEGA vs. U.S. Government matter is being heard) invalidating the Child Online Protection Act. COPA would have required websites that commercially distribute pornography to take reasonable steps to keep minors (defined as children under the age of 18) away from smut.
"Again, the 3rd Circuit has shown why it may be the most important Court in the country when considering Internet rights and "digital civil liberties," Brennan, Jr. told Gambling911.com.
While the protection of children over the Internet is a concern of both the sex purveyor and online gambling industries, COPA was found to be too broad in its scope.
In its ruling, the Federal Appeals Court said COPA violates the First Amendment because filtering technologies and other parental control tools offer a less restrictive way to protect children from inappropriate content online. The court also ruled that the law is unconstitutionally overly broad and vague.
And this is precisely what Brennan, Jr. and iMEGA are arguing.
"Trying to draw a picture for people in the industry about how our suit actually has great potential for success is tough sometimes, but if people look at COPA and then at UIGEA, they can't help but see the parallels," Brennan said. "They can also take comfort from the fact that there is at least one kind of Internet content out there even more hated by social conservatives - porn! - and those guys are winning by fighting back in court."
Sources close to Gambling911.com suggest that the U.S. Government may wish to work closely with iMEGA in the not-so-distant future as a means of regulating the online gambling sector and capitalizing on the multi-billion dollar industry during rough economic times.
"Ideally, the United States would allow iMEGA members to accept bets from its citizens provided they receive a cut," our source, who declined to be identified, said.
Brennan, Jr. would not comment on such an assertion but hinted a settlement agreement was always possible and that iMEGA's members would reap the rewards.
"Anybody who is not on board (with us) will lose out," he said.
Gambling911.com's source also suggested that iMEGA had been playing its cards right by not seeking financial compensation from the U.S. government and by refusing to take an "antagonistic" approach.
"We are about three years behind the porn industry in terms of Constitutional freedoms on the Net," our source said. "iMEGA is following the same successful model used by adult entertainment companies to challenge ill-conceived legislation."
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher

[bigboydan]

I reported a few weeks ago on my blog that they are looking at a April date regarding this matter. Hopefully they will overturn this one however I doubt it though.

[DwightShrute]

real wishful thinking

[RonPaul2008]

Unless it brings Pinnacle or some other useful books back into the market it won't be very helpful as far as I am concerned.

[Andy77]

It will bring Pinnacle back and it will be very helpful. Think about, more people will start opening accounts more money will flow to sportsbooks. They becomes more stable, and less payout issues will be. Less payout issues is VERY HELPFUL.

Originally Posted by RonPaul2008

Unless it brings Pinnacle or some other useful books back into the market it won't be very helpful as far as I am concerned.

[Thremp]

If Neteller comes back to the US, I'll lay huge odds that I won't be working by the time I'm thirty. It'd be like winning the lottery.

Actually, I don't care about Neteller. As long as it does the same thing.

[TeamPlayer]

It's so beautiful that we threw the "social conservatives" out of power and back into the minority where they belong. Really, another four years of making war in the name of God and violating the U.S. constitution would have doomed the good ol USA. "Seperation of church and state" is one of the greatest ideas ever devised by mankind.

[thespeculator]

governments rarely go back and change things, taxes never come down , they get shifted around , this will never happen

[pirate]

It's not the government that would change this....It's the courts that would strike this law down as unconstitutional.

[TeamPlayer]

Also, governments do sometimes change stupid laws such as "Prohibition."

[Karla]

Both Governments and Courts would transpire for this assessment. Let's all hope for this anyway. This would be a big help for our bro's though!

Strike it out!

[thespeculator]

you guys are correct some laws do get overturned , just have a feeling there a interest out there who want to keep it this way, at the end of the day it comes down to who 's getting paid, all that stuff public morality, protecting the youth , are all bull, what is more tempting the million dollar lotteries or a game that pays -110

[Seattle Slew]

Not a chance. Don't even waste your time reading about it.

[durito]

overturning it does nothing.

neteller was not pushed out because of UIGEA.

pinnacle will not come back unless it's explicitly made legal.

[betbetter]

Poker in some form may become legal, we won't see sportsbetting in our lifetimes.

[HeeeHAWWWW]

Amusing how the "land of the free" feels it bnecessary to restrict private activity in a manner more like the Soviet Union than anything else.

[michael777]

there is zero chance of it being overturned,zero,and that is a lock

[Hotdiggity11]

I hope so, Obama is the best President out of the primary choices we had to allow such a thing to happen. Plus, I want my Firepay and Party Poker back!

[thespeculator]

it doesn't matter who the President is , some policies don't change , one party might give lip service to an issue but when they get in power it is the same old thing, look at abortion, reagan 8 years nothing changed, bush 4 years nothing changed, bush 8 years nothing changed, Obama, won't change this law ,maybe they might act like with so many other laws just don't enforce it

[Fizzz]

I still do not get why is it illegal... You have to report to the IRS that income in some matter... so why not just make it legal so we players do not get sucked into the issue of "how the hell am I going to report this income?"