I’m an attorney who specializes in Internet gaming law. I have been asked by Marc Lesnick to appear at CAC and speak on the legal issues of Affiliates.
First things first: CALM DOWN, EVERYBODY!
No one can be arrested merely for attending CAC. It’s no crime to listen to presentations and attend a trade show! There are no squadrons of Cossacks waiting to haul everyone off without charge to the gulags.
Second:
I want to point out that in many instances we are not dealing with settled law- the legality of Internet gambling and advertising Internet gambling are still being hotly debated. What one side says is true, says is the law, may or may not be the same thing as the courts would say.
If you feel that you might be at risk, or in an uncomfortable position, there are things that can be done to put you and your business in an acceptable compliance posture. For this, you can consult the professionals.
Third, let’s be realistic: Internet gaming is not a furtive, back-alley vice. It is a multibillion dollar global business, legal and legitimate in over 70 countries. And that includes the USA. A dozen States now license Internet services to take their horse bets. Ten more use the Internet for the ” second chance” drawings of State lotteries. Even arch-conservative and Bible-belt States like North Dakota and Georgia are beginning to consider licensing Internet gambling. That means that the Affiliates and their kind are pioneers, not freaks or jailbirds.
It is true that the Bush administration is against Internet gambling- supposedly for the harm it brings. But when 48 of 50 States license some form of gambling, and take the money as part of their permanent revenue, that attitude starts to look like protectionism with a tin halo, like meddling and spite, like a social agenda in legal drag. They can arrest some, they can intimidate others; what they will never be able to do is make a $12 billion dollar market disappear.
This opposition is just the sort of obstacle that this kind of market has always had to face. But the participants don’t need to stay away, they need to stay informed: to know their rights, to know their options, to know the courses of action that are open to them.
The only people who are walking into a trap are the people who put their heads in the sand and remain ignorant.
I believe in the future of this industry, and I’ll come to CAC Vegas to help all I can.
See you there!
Very Truly Yours,
Martin D. Owens, Jr.
Law Offices of Martin D. Owens, Jr.
372 Florin Rd. #309
Sacramento, CA 95831
PH (916) 391 8113 ( Pacific Coast time)
cell (916) 716 7274
Fax (916) 422 5045
email [email protected]
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