FRANKFORT — Kentucky, a haven for gamblers who want to bet on horse racing, has hit a setback in its efforts to stop unregulated online casino gambling.
In a 2-1 ruling Tuesday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals said the state does not have the jurisdiction to seize 141 online casinos' Internet domain names in an effort to keep them from operating in the state.
The ruling also said a Franklin Circuit Court judge cannot hold further hearings on the issue.
"This is a tremendous victory for Internet freedom and the rights of Kentucky residents who enjoy playing online poker," said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, in a statement.It has been estimated that about 13,000 Kentuckians play the online casinos.
Jay Blanton, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Beshear, said the state did not receive the ruling until late Tuesday."We want to take some time to review it. No decision has yet been made on whether to appeal it to the state Supreme Court," Blanton said.
Read the complete story at kentucky.com