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DoylesRoom.com Seized In Kentucky Online Poker Hearing; Final Ruling Oct. 15

October 8, 2008

The debacle in Kentucky continues this week as Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate declared he would give his final verdict in the case, where the state is attempting to seize 141 domain names believed to be in connection with illegal online poker and gambling, on October 15th. Premature to this decision, however, GoDaddy.com took it upon themselves to cough up four of the domain names in question, including DoylesRoom.com.

illegal online poker hearing in KentuckyLate Monday night, before Tuesday’s hearing, the online domain registrar handed over the certificates of four online gambling domains which had been registered through GoDaddy.com. The domains were that of DoylesRoom.com, SlotsofFortune.com, BingoWorkz.com and USABingo.com.

Judge Wingate ordered that all seized domains should remain unaffected, therefore continuing operations as usual, until his final ruling on October 15th. Head over to any of the four domain names GoDaddy so willingly relinquished to the courts and you’ll find that nothing seems out of place – not yet anyways.

The defense attorneys argued at great length that the order to seize 141 domain names violated a number of provisions in the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. They also argued that domain names cannot be defined as “gambling devices”, and that online poker is a “game of skill”, legal in Kentucky, therefore should not be connected with other illegal online gambling operations.

Edward Leyden, President of Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming (iMEGA), made an interesting point as to how Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear can claim online gambling to be illegal in the state while the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, operates an online horse race betting site, TwinSpires.com, which is licensed in Oregon. Leyden posed the question that if Kentucky is so intolerant of online gambling, why should this site be permitted?

The TwinSpires web site responded by comparing horse racing with poker, “Just like poker, you are not playing against the house. You are playing against the rest of the people wagering on racing; the better your strategy, the more you can win.”

So it would appear that, in an attempt to remove their own hide from the block, TwinSpires has actually positioned itself in support of the defense; or at least those dealing in online poker rather than casino gambling.

Leyden continued his calculated attack by indicating that if the TwinSpires gambling site alone should be permitted to operate in Kentucky, serving only the interest of the state, such operations are prohibited by the US Constitution. Under the Commerce Clause, no state is permitted to engage in discrimination to eliminate competition. Therefore, with the seizure motivated by protectionism, it must be deemed unconstitutional.

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    Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Online Casino News, Online Gambling News, Poker News, UIGEA, iMega, Gambling Ban, United States Gambling Law 

    Kentucky Judge Orders Seizure Of Online Gambling Domains – PPA Responds

    September 24, 2008

    Poker players and those involved in the online poker industry were  absolutely flabbergasted this morning when browsing the online poker news headlines, their email boxes, and poker forums, they found that a court judge in Kentucky, USA, has ordered the seizure of 141 poker and gambling domains, to be transferred to ownership of the plaintiff – the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Among the 141 online gambling domains to be seized are some of the biggest players in the industry – PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, DoylesRoom.com, AbsolutePoker.com, Bodoglife.com, CakePoker.com and even the leading online gambling software developer, Microgaming.com.

    I cannot fathom how the Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear – who instigated the whole thing – got the idea that he can take control of domain names belonging to small companies outside of the US, but according to the Franklin Circuit Court of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, he can.

    Here’s what happened…

    Secretary of Justice Michael Brown brought the civil action before the Franklin Circuit Court, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, calling for the forfeiture and seizure of 141 online gambling domains that he demonstrates to be promoting and/or providing illegal gambling services within the state of Kentucky.

    A hearing was held on September 18th where the court found in favor of the plaintiff, stating probable cause existed to seize the domains in questions as they are believed to be in connection with facilitating illegal gambling within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

    The end result is that the registrants of each domain have been ordered by the judge to transfer ownership to the plaintiff’s account. Electronic notifications were sent out to the registrants of each domain, detailing the order, according to the legal procedures set forth by ICANN.

    Thus far, it has only been reported that two online gambling domains – luckypyramidcasino.com and highrollerslounge.com – have actually been seized. Both companies domain names were registered with the ENOM registrar service, based in the US, thereby allowing the seizure of the domain names.

    None of the major online gambling domains mentioned earlier in this article – PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, etc. – are believed to be registered with US-based companies, therefore it is not yet unclear whether the seizure of these domains would actually be possible.

    Why Kentucky?

    We can think of one very good reason the governor of Kentucky would target online gambling sites, and especially online sportsbooks – Kentucky is home to major horse racing events like the Kentucky Derby. If citizens of Kentucky place their horse racing bets online, Kentucky will receive no revenue from these wagers. Instead, let’s oust the competition by snatching the foundation out from beneath their feet.

    Kentucky Governor Steve Bashear, who’s always supported pro-gambling laws, lashed out at the online gambling industry, basically rehashing the UIGEA word for word. He spoke of the dangers of underage and problem gambling, as well as the industry’s alleged use for money laundering.

    “Unlicensed, unregulated, illegal internet gambling poses a tremendous threat to the citizens of the Commonwealth because of its ease, availability and anonymity,” claimed Bashear.

    PPA’s John Pappas Responds…

    Poker Players Alliance executive director, John Pappas, berated the court’s decision with the following statement:

    “Many of Governor Beshear’s arguments - that online poker is illegal, unregulated and without a mechanism to capture tax revenue - are false. Online poker is not illegal under Kentucky law, is regulated in its home jurisdiction and the Commonwealth of Kentucky chose not to license and regulate poker websites.

    “If the Governor truly wants to implement tighter regulations, taxation mechanisms and consumer protections on Internet gambling, the PPA suggests he publicly support federal legislation by U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, H.R. 2460, which would achieve those goals.

    “Poker is a game of skill, a true American pastime and has a proud heritage in Kentucky. Simply because the game has evolved into the 21st Century, it should not be treated as suspect activity. Forcefully and secretly seizing control of websites that offer online poker games is not a sound public policy or a sound legal solution.”

      Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Full Tilt Poker, Online Casino News, Online Gambling News, Poker News, PokerStars, UIGEA, iMega, Gambling Ban, United States Gambling Law 

      $10,000 Reward for Evidence of Bitch Slap

      August 12, 2008

      Professional poker player David Williams has reportedly put up a reward of $10,000 dollars and not for a lost pet either, this reward is reportedly for proof that he was “bitch slapped” not once, but twice outside of a club in Las Vegas.

      Pokerstars Banner A member of the Two Plus Two forum has given a second hand account of the incident saying that he is 99 percent sure that Williams received a double slap on the face after ‘disrespecting’ someone outside of a club. This is what allegedly earned him the slaps and initiated the reward.

      So Williams was hanging out with a few fellow poker pros and approached another club goer with his usual ‘charm’ and apparently the other person didn’t like his attitude. According to the post on Two Plus Two Williams reportedly said so “who the **** are you” and the other guy didn’t immediately share his life story, or even as much as his name. Williams asked him again “I said who are you” and this is when the bitch slaps reportedly went down.

      According to the forum poster, after the first slap David Williams kept his cool at first but then made a move like he was going to do something so the guy smacked him again this time onto the floor. So you know when enough is enough, well Williams was there and started yelling for security to come handle the assault.

      But now one of Williams’ friends has got his back and is offering $10,000 to the Two Plus Two poster, “Sublime” asking him for proof of his accounting of David getting slapped. Sublime has declined the offer but still insists that his story, the details of which are above is still 99 percent accurate.

      This isn’t williams first trip to the poker gossip forums, our favorite Pino, Tj aka Ace High Pino from Gambling101 posted about some of his earlier shenanigans:

      A few years back, Neverwin Poker broke a story that saw the young Bodog Pro in a foot fetish porno that he did during his Magic the Gheythering days (emphasis on “ghey”), prompting rumors that either he was in desperate need of cash at the time - or was simply just looking to get a little freaky in front of the camera. In either case, an eminent PR mess was somehow avoided, as a lot of the mainstream poker media refused to comment on the story despite the popularity of it on the forum boards and other gambling websites.

      From that point on though, there was just a stigma about David Williams that always seemed to follow him around. The rumors floating about that he was an arrogant prick and loved to flaunt his reputation as much as he loved to flaunt his love for mid-digital toes (insert “haha” here please) sometimes preceded his reputation as one of the best young players on the circuit.

        Written by Rebecca Rosales · Filed Under Celebrity Poker Gossip, Online Casino News, Online Gambling News 

        Online Poker Bots – Ominous or Overrated?

        August 8, 2008

        According to a recent statement from Ian Fellows, developer of the open-source poker bot “Fell Omen”, online poker is destined to fall apart. For years now, online poker players have attempted to use artificial poker bots, but are they really as ominous as Fellows makes them out to be?

        “It wasn’t until mid-2000, [when] an algorithm was developed, that [poker bots] could even come close to a competent player. But now, online computer poker playing may become a thing of the past,” Fellows believes.

        The general idea is that human players will not be able to successfully compete against the artificial intelligence of online poker bots. However, the general consensus to this claim was tremendously in support of the online poker industry overcoming the ‘poker bot’ epidemic, and I must point out that this came from the players, not the operators.

        For starters, poker bot programs are absolutely prohibited at online poker rooms. Should a player get caught using one – and there are tracking devices in place to detect likely poker bot activity – the player’s account is immediately suspended and all assets irreversibly frozen. One player pointed out that using a chess-bot is immediately recognizable to a human opponent, therefore a poker bot would not be much more difficult to identify.

        Another important fact that players keyed in on was that Fellows poker bot is only capable of playing heads-up Texas Hold’em, a much less popular form of the game at online poker rooms. However, being an ‘open source’ poker bot, “Fell Omen” could potentially be adapted to other variants by anyone with the appropriate software programming skills to attempt it.

        Yet another factor brought up by online poker players is that a poker bot can only work with a single strategy, based on its own predicament. Online poker bots do not detect behavioral patterns, or understand that a player on tilt is more likely to bet on weak hands until his chip stack recovers, or he is eliminated from the table.

        There are, of course, a small majority of responders who believe it is ridiculous to play online poker, where your opponent is invisible to you, when you can guarantee the legitimacy of each player in land-based poker rooms.

        One response to the theory of online poker’s imminent doom via poker bots came in the form of introducing required web cams for every player. This would allow you to watch your opponent, witnessing his live presence at the keyboard. While an interesting suggestion, this would neither prevent the use of poker bots (just sit and watch and keep your hand on the mouse), nor would online poker rooms ever seriously consider the idea for 100% enforcement. Too many customers would be lost for a string of reasons, doubtfully having anything to do with ‘poker bots’.

        While I cannot predict the future, I will say that I agree with the majority of online poker players – poker bots pose no real threat to the future existence or success of online poker rooms, or most players’ desire to participate. As these poker bots become more sophisticated, so does the technology of online poker rooms to detect them.

        On a final note, my favorite comment on the subject, both for its entertainment value and likely accuracy, came from “jb” on DallasNews.com’s techblog - “Having dabbled in it myself, I’d have to say the US government is more of a threat to online poker than a bot.”

          Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Online Casino News, Online Gambling News, Poker News 

          Bodog Founder Under Secret Indictment In US?

          July 31, 2008

          Recently, $24 million was seized from Bodog-linked bank accounts and it is apparent that the online gambling company is under heavy investigation for allegedly facilitating illegal gambling in the United States. According to a report on Forbes.com, there is a lot of speculation as to a secret indictment somewhere in the US for Bodog’s founder, Calvin Ayre.

          The Canadian tycoon has continuously claimed that he is not on the lam, yet no one seems to be able to find him. Reports indicate that Ayre is believed to be settled somewhere in the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, but multiple attempts to contact him – through his Calvin Ayre Foundation web site, Bodog web site and various other contacts – have proved fruitless. Is the one-time billionaire and media termed “playboy” really on the lam, or is he just avoiding contact with the press?

          It is certain the Us government would love to get their hands on Calvin Ayre for his operations of Bodog, a popular online sports betting, poker and casino site that continues to cater to US gamblers, regardless of US laws put in place in 2006 that prohibit such activities. Industry experts are alluding to the investigation as a “witch-hunt”, suspecting Ayre would be prosecuted to the harshest extent of the law as an example, hoping to frighten other illegal online gambling operations into ceasing operations with the US.

          Though Ayre consistently denies trepidation if US law enforcement, he licensed full control of Bodog to Morris Mohawk Gaming in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory of Canada in September of 2007. It has even been reported by Ayre himself (on a web site) that he signed over full ownership of the Bodog company to Morris Mohawk, headed by chief Alwyn Morris, stating “It’s true; I’m packing it in.”

          If you’ve kept up with recent Bodog news and press releases, you’ve probably noticed that all quotes regarding Bodog now come from Alwyn Morris himself, and no longer the former head, Calvin Ayre.

          The US government has spent nearly two years now targeting online gambling operations, but more so online payment processors that facilitate monetary transfers between US players and online gambling operations. In January of 07, the co-founders of NETeller were arrested in Florida when attempting to switch planes to their next destination. Just this summer, Canadian online payment processor, ESI Entertainment Systems, found themselves the target of the same prosecutors, choosing to enter a “deferred prosecution agreement”. This basically means they admit to wrongdoing and agree to fork over $9.1 million after processing more than $2 billion worth of online gambling funds for US customers.

          Calvin Ayre, now 47 years old, and his family have had troubles with law enforcement for years now, even before he founded Bodog. Though Ayre himself was never charged, close family members were convicted on drug trafficking charges. Later in 1996, Calvin was officially banned from interactions with the British Columbia securities industry for 20 years for offenses related to the stick market.

          In early 2006, (before the US UIGEA gambling ban ever existed) Calvin Ayre found himself plastered on the front page of Forbes Magazine as world’s most prominent billionaire. Bodog was said to be handling $7.3 billion across the boards.

          In his 2006 Forbes interview, Ayre stated, “One of the things that drives me is the excitement that I could fail. What better buzz can you get?”

          When the UIGEA came to pass later that year, Bodog’s profits plummeted and Ayre was no longer a staple on the Forbes list.

            Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Bodog Life, Online Casino News, Online Gambling News, Poker News, UIGEA, iMega, Gambling Ban, United States Gambling Law 

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