January 23 -The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was celebrating yesterday over what it calls "a tremendous victory for internet freedom". The cause for this jubilance was an appellate court's decision to overturn a lower court's ruling that would have essentially allowed Kentucky authorities to seize the domain names of 141 online poker and casino sites.
If the lower court, presided over by Judge Thomas Wingate, had got its way, the domain names of sites such as Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet would have become the property of the State of Kentucky.
The PPA was one of the groups that rejected the lower court's decision outright and turned to the Appeals Court to override the ruling. The arguments presented on behalf of the PPA were coherent and strong enough to contribute significantly to the appellate court's decision to override the lower court's ruling.
"This is a tremendous victory for internet freedom and the rights of Kentucky residents who enjoy playing online poker," said the Executive Director of the PPA, John Pappas. "We are pleased that the Appeals Court has forcefully reversed Judge Wingate's earlier ruling and confirmed many of the arguments that have been raised in opposition to the seizure effort. The Court of Appeals has agreed with the PPA's position that Judge Wingate did not have jurisdiction to issue the order that he entered against these domains and that Secretary Brown has no legitimate right to deprive the citizens of Kentucky of the legal right to play poker online."
The Kentucky State Director for the PPA said that he hoped that Beshear would now channel his efforts and energies into regulating and taxing online poker. "This common sense approach would benefit Kentucky's poker enthusiasts and the revenue will benefit the state as a whole," said Rich Muny.
