Several huge names within the online gambling industry, including Bodog and Full Tilt Poker, were planned to be seized by the state of Kentucky – under state law gambling is illegal.
However, under said law, the actual names are not devices used to gamble – they are just names. Therefore the state lost the right to seize the names of 141 online gambling sites to a 2-1 vote.
The head of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, J. Michael Brown had this to say about the decision: ‘The Commonwealth will continue its action to protect Kentucky citizens from illegal internet gambling operations, and appeal the recent Court of Appeals ruling to the state Supreme Court. The evidence demonstrated that illegal and unregulated activity is occurring in Kentucky, and that millions of dollars are being lost as a result of that activity, a fact that wasn’t disputed in Tuesday’s ruling. We now have two judges who agree with our position, and two who disagree, so the most appropriate step is to make our case to the higher court.’
It is expected that the case will be appealed.