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If you have been following the world of gambling then you know how the rules are changing by the week with the US legislators involved. There are some that want gambling to be legalized so they can take advantage of the huge tax revenue dollars avialable. There are equally passionate legislators who believe that they cannot allow gambling to be legalized because of the many other issues that would open the door to. They believe that legalizing gambling would inevitably bring in crime, addiction and corruption to the areas in question. Which side is right has yet to be settled but in the mean time states are fighting it out themsleves. Kentucky is a state that is involved in the debates and just make a move on Microgaming, a leader in the world of software gaming online.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky named Microgaming as an offender of their laws this past week. The lawsuit states that the company is powerful enough and has a notable hold on the various areas- enough of a hold according to legislators that it could potentially come up with a “personal jurisdiction.” This jurisdiction in turn allows them hold poker games, using proprietary software gaming systems, have affiliate programs with their online portals and taking rakes. These activities are detrimental to the state because it is allowing Microgaming to create a monopoly of sorts with their online power and stregth in the gambling market. The state is also citing that Microgaming was involved in illegal activities within their jurisdiction frm September of 2005 until October 2008. All the money customers lost throughout this time is being requested back. This could be a huge amount considering how popular and widespread Microgaming is. The company received millions of dollars thoughout this period of time and asking them to repay the cost of loses to all residents within the state is a huge amount. This could be a monumental case if the state of Kentucky is successful in its request for compensation. Only time will tell what happens, but Kentucky legislators have made it clear that they don’t want gambling to be legalized in their jurisdiction and will do what it takes to keep it out.

In the world of gambling there are a lot of changes going on right now. If you watch the growth in the market you are going to see a long list of changes that are having various affects on the world. The state of Kentucky is in the midst of changes. Governor Steve Beshear has been trying to seize domain names of one-hundred-and-forty-one various gambling websites for years now. His belief is that the state has a right to police these websites because they are accessible to the residents of the state. He is heading into dangerous territory though. Many believe that he is bordering on, or landing in the middle of, censorship issues. Does the government have the right to police what websites its residents have access to? Does the government have the authority to overlook censorship rules if it is in the “interest of the people”? How does the government prove that it is acting in the “interest of the people”? These are all questions that Beshear’s initiatives are bringing up. Many anti-gambling politicians believe that the state does have a right to decide if gambling is legal or not, but they don’t have the right to ban certain websites for any reason—even if those websites are providing illegal content.

The question remains whether or not this is going to be sorted out soon. It may take some time for gaming companies to make their own arguments into the issue. Many have already and they believe that gambling should be legalized for gamers everywhere. Of course this most likely is not going to be an easy change—it will take time for legislators to write codes that work with the gaming public and are lucrative for their own gain. This is what many gamers are working on—they believe that the money involved is too hefty to turn down. Kentucky remains at a standstill though—the governor has stated that he will continue push for online gambling to be deemed illegal and push out the tax revenue dollars that are available as a result of it. Overall it will take time to work anything out, but it is an issue heavy on the hearts of the gambling public.

If you are keeping up with changes in the gaming market then no doubt you have read about Kentucky. The state’s legislators are working hard to regulate gambling. Now, PartyGaming.com is the latest company to be targeted by officials who want to get a handle on its activities. It was big news that Party Gaming was added to offending websites because of how large the company is and how long it has been in operations. Owners of the company are quick to point out its past history of success within the gambling market and how many satisfied customers have left the website with payouts or excellent gaming fun they have at the website. This is also not the first problem Kentucky has had regarding legalizing and regulating gambling. The state’s legislators have troubled over the two sides of the issue in the past and tried to come to some reasonable option. Like other states there are the proponents of online gambling and the opponents of the issue. Each one has a viable argument as to why things should be a certain way and most likely it is going to have to just be sorted out in future months of negotiations and debates. Many other states are in limbo regarding the issue, but well aware of the huge tax revenue dollars available if they do legalize gambling activities. It is too big a price for most states to entirely pass up and they are working overtime to find laws that serve them well, but also protect customers.

This is not the first time Party Gaming is seeing trouble. In fact the company first had problems back in 2005 with activities it was involved in. The government made moves to cite the company and it was targeted again in a multi-million dollar settlement. With Kentucky now targeting the company, it has yet to be seen how things are going to change. The company no doubt will continue its normal operations due to a strong customer base and a steady revenue stream from various gamers around the world. It may however have to change some of its activities and alter its protocols to avoid more problems in the future.

Anyone who has followed gambling over the past few months knows how much trouble Kentucky has had. There have been various happenings regarding gambling and each side is fighting hard for their view to win. Calling the Supreme Courts bluff, an online gambling site operator has stepped forward.  The operator of an online gambling website involved in the case concerning the state of Kentucky’s seizure of 141 internet domain names has now come forward in the latest twist of the engrossing legal drama. It’s been a long time in coming, but the sides on this issue are still struggling it out. They each want their position to be heard and proven in a court of law. Kentucky is in the midst of the arguments over gambling and its legalization.

This follows the recent ruling of the Kentucky Supreme Court that iMEGA had no standing in the case as an industry representative and that a genuine casino operator must make themselves known, Yatahay Limited have now stepped up to the plate. The operator is speaking on behalf of TruePoker.com.  One of the many domain names seized by Kentucky officials – and will now act as the official defendant in the case while attempting to prevent the proposed seizure by the state. The fear of a lot of experts is that if seizures are allowed by Kentucky then that opens the door for other states to do the same in an effort to monopolize the market. Protecting the market from that is a premiere concern of many legislators and proponents of online gambling legalization. Much like the EU  struggling with creating a unified law for member countries, so the US is working to build federal legislation that can adequately police the institution of online gambling and its regulation.

“We’ve overcome the technicalities that gave the Commonwealth their short-lived victory,” said the chairman of iMEGA, Joe Brennan, in a written statement yesterday, adding that he sincerely believed the Supreme Court would now rule in their favor. Time will tell the twists and turn of this case and the legitimacy of Yatahay Limited have been raised. The group is a Canadian organization currently operating on a disconnected phone line and whether or not the Kentucky courts will accept them as a qualified party to the case remains to be seen.

The Kentucky Supreme Court took a stab at the case concerning the seizure of 141 internet gambling website domain names.  They called everyone’s bluff and  have ruled that the state would not hear the case unless the casino operators themselves came forward to oppose it. Until now the sites were being represented by industry group iMEGA.  With the courts seemingly bizarre decision by the Kentucky court, they ruled that the organization had no standing to represent online casinos in their struggle. The courts decision has caused outrage among similar groups concerned with internet freedom – a cause cited by President Obama as being important to him in his election campaign – as they say if Kentucky is successful, any government has free reign to make websites disappear. It is quickly becoming a matter of freedom and an offshoot of freedom of speech to some experts. They believe that the government should not have the authority to buy up domain names in an effort to thwart the growth of business. Rather, business should be allowed to flourish on all levels.

Another repercussion of the government’s move is that many gamblers from the US will continue to move their gambling games to offshore companies. This means that millions of dollars, maybe even billions, may be channeled out of the country. This is the same thing that happened with the UIGEA of 2006. It caused many US players to find offshore companies to wager at since the bill stopped financial institutions from managing transactions that were directly related to gambling. It put the responsibility of regulation into the hands of banks and that made them twice as leery about dealing with anything questionable, for fear of fines from the government. Jon Fleischaker, an attorney representing iMEGA, is not concerned and feels the case will still proceed in no time just as soon as iMEGA had cleared the matter up to the Kentucky Supreme Court’s satisfaction. “I view it as a very, very temporary technical setback, but I would expect that we will proceed as suggested by the Supreme Court,” he told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “We will shortly be back”.

Kentucky has long been in a battle over gambling. Not that it is alone– most states are in some type of debate over using gambling as a means of bringing in huge needed dollars. There are billions of dollars available in the market of gambling and legislators all over the world know that to overcome the deficits and budget problems created by the recession, they are going to have to use gambling to help. If anything, gambling dollars can close up the gap between expenses and revenue in state coffers. Recently, the Kentucky Supreme Court just ruled that casino industry groups have no standing when it comes to representing the online casino operators in the fight over the seizure of online gambling domain names. The court offer a very short 17-page opinion which was very limited. This decision comes as a heavy blow to the online gambling industry and to those that believe in Internet freedom. If the Commonwealth of Kentucky
can seize domain names, then any jurisdiction in the world can seize domain names based on their local laws, even if the domain owner is outside of their jurisdiction. It’s a monumental decision and marks the beginning of a heavy problem in the industry.

Though this may seem like a bad thing for the industry, some experts are saying that it is just a glitch in the natural progression of the industry as it comes together. Jon Fleischaker, an attorney representing iMEGA, looks at the decision as a minor setback. He said, “I view it as a very, very temporary technical setback, but I would expect that we will proceed as suggested by the Supreme Court and we will shortly be back in the Supreme Court,” In simple terms, the Supreme Court wants the owners of the online gambling domains to appear in court and submit documents on their own behalf in order for the Supreme Court to consider a decision. The SC does not find the iMEGA gaming organization has the capacity to represent the owners of the online gambling domains under Kentucky law. If the state of Kentucky is able to seize the online gambling domains, then a foreign jurisdiction where horse racing is illegal should seize the domains of horse betting operators within the state of Kentucky using the exact same ridiculous argument.

There are a wide variety of gaming outlets on the market today but one that stands out is the Horseshoe Casino in southern Indiana. The casino is labeled the home of the “world’s largest” in the US because it houses the world’s largest riverboat casino. The Horseshoe Casino is known worldwide for its vast expanse of gaming excellence. Anyone wanting to taste what gambling has to offer should venture out to the casino in Indiana and see for themselves how much it has to offer.

This casino is a 173,000-square-foot location that boasts all of the amenities of a complete casino resort destination. Built in 1998 as the formerly known as Ceasars Indiana, this four-deck riverboat is 452 feet long by 100 feet wide and is powered by four 1,000 horsepower engines. It has the widest variety of table games too. The gaming floor features over 100 tables that offer everything from Pai gow poker to Caribbean Stud and Let it Ride to roulette. You will find craps, Crazy 4 Poker and Omaha as well as baccarat and Keno. For all your gaming needs, this is a great place to visit.

If you love slots, don’t worry the Horseshoe Casino offers one of the largest variety of slots games in Indiana and has over 2,000 games to offer. Whether you are looking for high-wager slot machines or penny-slots, you’ll find them on this casino floor. The slots parlor is vast and offers something for every level of player. Each one has  competitive payback percentages. In terms of restaurants, the Horseshoe Casino also has some premiere offerings like JB Cafe and Legend’s Sports Bar. Each one has its own specials and bonuses to enjoy. Check with the casino every night you are there to see the daily specials and extras you can find when it comes to dining. 

Visiting the Horseshoe also offers some additional benefits. The casino is just 20 miles from Louisville, Kentucky. That means any visitor can enjoy Churchill Downs and the Louisville Slugger Museum. There are specialty shops to enjoy and the Ohio River attractions like boat rides and camping. Test out the Horseshoe and surrounding areas for the best in vacation fun for the entire family.

According to the latest Courier Journal Bluegrass poll, nearly six out of every ten Kentucky voters say that they favor the legalization slot machines at the state’s racetracks.  However, eighty five percent said the decision should be left to voters — not the General Assembly. This level of support for the legalization of slot machines in Kentucky racetracks is the highest its been in the Bluegrass poll since questions about expanded gambling were added in 2002.  One respondent who agreed to be interviewed said that she believes the state is losing significant money to nearby states that allow gambling, such as Indiana. The debate is going strong, but the bottom line is coming down to money. Legislators know that there are millions of dollars to be had when it comes to slot machines. They realize the problem the US as a whole had with gambling. Back in 2006, the US created the UIGEA. It was meant to help regulate gambling and ban it from the economy. Instead, gamblers just found other portals to play that were offshore. That meant that billions of dollars were consistently be channeled out of the US and into foreign economies. Kentucky knows the history of gambling and does not want to make the same mistake– and miss out on millions of dollars that surely will be scooped up by other neighboring states.

Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed slots at the tracks as a way to bolster Kentucky’s faltering horse industry and boost state revenue in the face of a $1.4 billion budget shortfall in the next two fiscal years.  He included revenue from expanded gambling in his proposed budget for 2010-12 to stave off deeper spending cuts. But legislative leaders have said a bill allowing slots at the tracks lacks enough support to pass this session. And House members are considering budget scenarios that — for now, at least — do not rely on new revenue from gambling.  Beshear reiterated Tuesday that he would not support a constitutional amendment to expand gambling, which requires voter approval, because it would take too long to get money to the state’s treasury.  “I think the need for speed is real,” he said.  Beshear said expanded gambling’s prospects could improve once the legislature understands the cuts that will have to be made without it.

For one player, the New Year brought more than just good tidings. It was an unnamed Kentucky resident who walked away with the end-of-the-year Powerball Lottery. He won $128.6 million from a ticket he bought online. The win was one of the biggest in the history of the lottery and the winner is sure to have a life changing event. He made no formal statement, but speculators say that he must be gearing up for a great 2010.

There is some controversy beyond the winner, though. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is in some hot water due to the Powerball win. Kentucky has quickly joined the ranks of US states that are trying to keep internet gambling out. Beshear has pressed hard throughout this past year to stop gambling because he believes that it would be a bad move to allow internet casinos to operate in the state. After much hullabaloo about the legalization of gambling, now the Powerball win is putting the governor to the test.  The state is entitled for $3.5 million in gambling taxes from the lottery win. Though Beshear has been a strong opponent of gambling, his true beliefs will be put to the test now.

Most states that are fighting off gambling’s legalization cite the problems that come along with it as too high a price. Namely addictions are being focused on. If gambling is legalized many critics believe that addictions will grow in numbers and without the proper resources to handle them, people could fall into financial disasters like foreclosure, repossessions and even prison. In addition to an increase in the number of gambling addicts, critics also state that legalizing gambling would bring in more crime and corruption. Without a strong police force centrally focused on monitoring the problem and regulating the issue, the state would surely fall into disaster. Only time will tell what will happen with the issue, but if the past is any indication, Beshear will not be deferring the issue any time soon. He has spent the last year voicing his opinion loudly to the public.  The big Powerball win will say something though– if the governor of Kentucky can be bought.