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Washington State Bans Online Gambling
(July 01, 2006)
To the dismay of many amateur poker players, Washington has become the first state to pass a law making internet gambling a Class C felony in the United States. The new legislation was passed on June 7th, 2006, which states that, under Senate Bill 6613, if you are a resident of the state of Washington and you are caught placing any kind of wager online, you could face up to five years in prison and penalty of $10,000.
There has been talk of this type of criminalization for a number of years. In fact, several states already consider online gambling a crime, albeit a misdemeanour. Washington is the first state to put online gamers into the same category as sex offenders and thus offending poker players not only in the state of Washington, but around the country.
When pressed by the public, state lawmakers cited the obligation to protect citizens from unscrupulous gaming companies and also the need to clamp down on an unregulated industry which, without their supervision, could fall under the influence of organized crime. But online gamers don’t necessarily see it that way.
Many residents of Washington are angry at the new law, claiming it is a drastic overreaction to something which the lawmakers themselves don’t understand. Online poker players, which represent a growing segment of the overall American population, are angry, confused, and offended by the state government’s decision to put an end to online gambling by branding their hobby as a criminal activity.
Although there are plans to try and overturn the decision, for now online gambling remains a criminal act. And overturning the law will not be easy however, as it requires a 60% majority vote by both houses of the state legislature. The Bill was passed in the House by an overwhelming margin of 93 to 5, so clearly things don’t look good for online gamblers in Washington State.
Nobody has yet to be charged with the offence, and many claim that they will continue to take their chances by playing at online sites regardless of the new law. The state has gone on record to say that it is very unlikely that they will go after individual gamers and instead intend to target gaming companies.
Regardless, many residents of Washington now question why it is legal for them to visit one of the more than 20 state casinos or to buy tickets for the state-run lottery, but not legal to play poker from the comforts of their own home.
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