Big defeat for on line poker in court

Lee Rousso Unsuccessful in Court, Plans to Appeal
By Dan

Published May 15 2008, 05:50 PM

In a courthouse in Kent, Washington, PPA State Director Lee Rousso argued in favor of overturning a law that makes playing online poker in the state a Class C felony, the equivalent of being convicted of child pornography. It’s one of the most severe internet gambling laws in the country, and motivated Rousso to run for Governor in Washington back in January. On Thursday, the Judge in the case ruled in favor of the State - disappointing news for online poker. However, Rousso will be appealing the decision. PocketFives.com spoke with Rousso hours after the hearing. In addition, we heard from Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch, who were in attendance at a Poker Players Alliance rally on the courthouse steps.

Rousso commented, “I thought I had a great case. The one thing that the judge found that surprised me is that she determined I didn’t show that the law discriminated in favor of in-state business interests and against out-of-state business interests. Once she got past that, her ruling focused on the history of the state’s ability to regulate gambling. I will appeal this.”

Rousso, in a sentiment later echoed by Greenstein, commented that no matter what the outcome was, the losing party was going to appeal. In addition, “when you go into court with a gambling-related case, it makes people think funny. I will try to appeal directly to the Washington State Supreme Court, which will take six months. In that sense, the fact I lost in court today gives us more incentive to get things done.” About 30% of the cases that are appealed are overturned.

PocketFives.com spoke to poker pro Barry Greenstein shortly after the hearing concluded on Thursday. He commented, “We didn’t agree with the judge’s decision. We were hoping that the law would be overturned. These types of laws are nonsensical.” About 70 players turned out for the rally, which occurred at the same location as the hearing. Greenstein comments on the turnout: “It was about what we were expecting. It was in the middle of the day. We had people wearing ‘poker is not a crime’ shirts. Andy and I spoke to crowd as well.” For members of the PPA and the community who turned out, an important statement was made: Poker players will fight for their rights.

Greenstein describes why he considers these types of laws “nonsensical” in nature: “I represent poker players as a whole to some degree. I don’t like people picking on poker players because they are an easy target by making up stories like online poke rooms are being used to finance terrorism and money laundering and things that simply aren’t true.”

Poker pro Andy Bloch was also at the event and told PocketFives.com, “The law is out of whack in Washington State. The penalty for playing $0.05/$0.10 online poker is the same as drinking and driving multiple times. Eventually, I think we’ll have a successful appeal. However, voters in Washington have to contact their State Representatives and say, ‘I want you to oppose this law. If you don’t, I’ll vote against you and make sure you aren’t elected.’”

On a national level, the same is true in Bloch’s eyes: “That’s what we need nationwide. Anyone can go and visit a lawmaker’s local office. If you go to Washington, DC, make an appointment to talk with your Congressman. I was actually surprised that so many Congressmen said that’s what affects them. You might not be able to talk to a Congressman directly, but you might be able to talk to an aide. Make sure to say that you’re representing thousands of other voters in your district.”

You can check out the entire history of the case by visiting the PPA website. If you’re not a member of this industry organization, you should be. I am, along with over a million other online poker players. Registration literally takes a few minutes and is completely free.

Stay tuned to PocketFives.com for updates on this story as they unfold. Thank you very much to Rousso, Greenstein, Bloch, and the Poker Players Alliance for making this interview possible.

Thanks to Woodsmith111 @ RakeReport for posting this article