Merge network bans players from Kentucky

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glworden

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November 3, 2008 (InfoPowa News) -- According to reports on several online poker information portals this week, the burgeoning Merge Gaming poker network has joined Microgaming in excluding Kentucky residents from all network activity, presumably as a precaution against the predatory behavior of Kentucky governor Steve Beshear and his contingency-contracted lawyers in their efforts to seize international domain names.

As far as can be ascertained, the ban does not apply to existing customers.

Merge has been around since early 2007, but its history goes back before then when it was better known as Poker.com. The network attracts around 4,300 simultaneous players on a good night and boasts almost 20 skins, including Poker Nordica, Iron Duke, Jam Poker, CarbonPoker, PDC Poker, Texas Holdem, Golden Arch Poker, Rumble Poker, Poker City, WalkerPoker, BetED Poker, PokerOne, RPM Poker,G2Gpoker, Spin32Poker, Lucky Hog, Reefer Poker, Wass Poker and ACED. The operation carries a Kahnwake licence.

Meanwhile, the characteristically outspoken owner of Doyles Room, poker legend Doyle Brunson, has spoken out against the Kentucky attempt to hijack global industry domain names, writing on his blog: "I’m not going to go into all the legal issues, but Kentucky is in for a hell of a battle and every legal opinion I've heard says they don’t have a chance of winning."
 
Nick

Nick

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They aren't the only ones who will do this. I believe there is approximately 2-3 weeks left on the deadline for the Kentucky blocking to be enforced. Nearer this time either there will be some serious legal battles (unlikely due to the unclear US legislation), or some sites will cave under pressure and block Kentucky.
 
mjdavinci

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This is Kentucky's way of controlling gambling in their state to keep all the money wagered in the state. Last month the governor and the AG of Kentucky went to court to try and block a casino proposed to built in Cincinnati, Ohio to keep the customers from Ohio going to the casino's in Covington, KY across the river. Besides I think that the state is stepping way over the line on this considering that all of these companies our outside the United States.
 
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