Turns out Kentucky seized 141 domain names of illegal gambling websites. Kentucky is the first state to bring an action against that type of gambling operator in the seizure of domain names.
The order came Thursday in response to a suit filed by the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet on behalf of the Commonwealth seeking to force the sites to block access to Kentucky users, or relinquish control of their domains. Judge Thomas Wingate ordered a forfeiture hearing for Sept. 25th on the matter. The Justice Cabinet had asked the court to order Internet registrars to transfer control of the domain names to the Commonwealth, pending a hearing on whether forfeiture is required.
“Unlicensed, unregulated, illegal Internet gambling poses a tremendous threat to the citizens of the Commonwealth because of its ease, availability and anonymity,” Governor Steve Beshear said. “The owners and operators of these illegal sites prey on Kentucky citizens, including our youth, and deprive the Commonwealth of millions of dollars in revenue. It’s an underworld wrought with scams and schemes.”
By seizing the domain names, Kentucky can require that the illegal casino operators use readily available technology to block their domains from being accessed in the Commonwealth.
Good move on the Commonwealth’s part. But we’re not sure how this can really be enforced. Namely because it’s borderline impossible to filter IP addresses 100% of the time. Some providers only geo-located based on region, not state.
7 responses so far ↓
1 BHG // Sep 22, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Why is this being handled by the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and not the Attorney General?
2 flubby // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Ugh, this is such a dog and pony show. These sites are all overseas and out of reach of American courts. If they could have been shut down that easy, the federales would have done so long ago.
But yeah, hooray for feel-good governance!!!
3 BILked // Sep 22, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Are they making people go click click on their sites?
Isn’t this what China does to their citizens?
Can you spell censorship?
I think Beshear is getting ready for the casinos to invade Kentucky and wants to ensure our citizenry has money left to gamble away.
There is no other reason to outlaw these yet keep our horsetracks, lottery and bingo.
If he wants to really help the citizens, he needs to post the National Guard and state troopers at our borders to stop the Hostess Twinkie trucks from entering cause we are THE fattest state in the Union.
While he’s at it, stop the cigarette trucks too cause we lead the country in smoking too.
4 Ralph // Sep 23, 2008 at 9:57 am
A Couple of Points:
1. This is not about illegal activity.
2. This is about limiting access to gambling in Kentucky to only state scanction games.
3. The net result is censorship for internet users in Kentucky.
If we really wanted to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth we raise the cigarette tax not attempt to limit where their browser can go on the Intenet.
5 cave dweller // Sep 23, 2008 at 11:08 am
This is really bizzarre!
How in the world can the state “seize” a domain name through a court action?
The internet registrar will laugh at them…
6 jake // Sep 23, 2008 at 11:10 am
cave: it’s also hilarious that they believe it’s possible to totally filter access to any domain name.
just not possible.
7 Mike Bailey // Sep 23, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Translation: “We don’t cotton to these Internetty gamblin’ sites takin’ away bizniss frum our horse tracks and lotto games – those no-good varmits! Thems our tax dollahs!!!!”
Could our leadership show more ignorance about technology, or be more unintentionally transparent about their real motives? Huh? Would that be possible? Nah.
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