Minnesota Drops Effort Against Online Poker and Gaming
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Online poker players in the United States will take victories anywhere they can get them in the ongoing legal battles in the country. And they apparently got one this week.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety had attempted to tell internet service providers in the state to stop their users from viewing hundreds of poker and gambling Web sites. (Read our original story from April here.). While there has been no official announcement from that state agency, the Poker Players Alliance said that Minnesota was dropping its efforts to force ISPs in the state to limit users’ access to such Web sites.
State Representative Pat Garofalo, who had been at the forefront of battling the enforcement measure, said “the legal position underlying the issuance of the notices was reconsidered.”
“Minnesota poker players made our voices heard, the state listened and ended its ill-advised and improper attempt to circumvent the rights of Minnesota poker players,” said Matthew Werden, Minnesota State Director of the Poker Players Alliance. “We commend Representative Garofalo for literally taking this misguided effort head on and resolving it without incident.”
However, The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association issued a statement on Friday that says no agreement has been reached.
A number of news outlets have reported that the Minnesota ISP “black list” situation has been resolved. While iMEGA, the Minnesota attorney-general’s office and the Department of Public Safety have been involved with efforts to reach a settlement, as of today no final agreement has been reached.
It’s unclear why there’s conflicting information out there, or why a state congressman would say the issue has been solved if it hasn’t.
It appears that online poker is relatively safe to play in Minnesota once again. We’ll update you if there’s any change or announcements.
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