News

Sunday, 10 October 2010 10:22

Online gambling remains illegal in Washington State thanks to a ruling by the Supreme Court that found there was no violation of the US Constitution.

In a unanimous ruling by Washington State's Supreme Court it was decided that the state's current ban on all forms of Internet gambling would remain in force. It came about during a lawsuit brought against the state by attorney Lee Rousso, who is also a Washington resident and keen online poker player. Rousso argued that the state's ban was in violation of the United States Constitution's commerce clause. In the end, however, the court was not sympathetic to his cause.

The decision was made by Justice Richard B. Sanders. He wrote that state Legislature was intended to balance concerns over public policy and determine that by enforcing the ban on gambling on the Internet, the interests of the state of Washington were best served. Saunders also pointed out the decision of the court should not be viewed as endorsing the ban, but merely endorsing the right of the Legislature to enact that ban. He then went on to point out that there were merits to both the enforcement of an outright ban and on the regulation of online gambling; concluding that in the opinion of the court there was not conclusive evidence to clarify which was in fact the best choice

A statement was then released by Rousso along with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) that reflected the disappointment they experienced at the issue of the court's ruling. It highlighted the need of poker players living in the state to have their opinions heard and to rally together in order to show a united front in standing against what they called an outrageous law. Rousso intends to carry this forward to the United States Supreme Court to appeal against the decision.

Alfonse D’Amato, the PPA's Chairman reasserted their own commitment to making a stand against this and other bans on poker, calling the current law in Washington State “ridiculous.”
 
This is the second ruling to come this month in relation to online gambling's legality in the state of Washington. The court earlier found the online gambling website Betcha.com in violation their ban on gambling on the Internet, despite the site's attempt to circumvent the ban by creating a betting exchange paid for by subscription instead of acting directly as a bookmaker.