Washington State Passes Online Poker Ban

Saturday, May 6, 2006
by BroadbandPoker.com Staff

In recent months it's been Washington D.C. that has taken most of the spotlight when it comes to governments trying to put a ban on online gaming including online poker, but now the spotlight shifts to Washington state which is now one of the first states in the country to actually pass a law banning the play of online poker. The law will go into effect June 7, 2006.

The bill which was initially introduced in the Senate by State Senator Margarita Prentice, SB 6613 sailed through on to the House of Representatives for further consideration. Before being passed on to the House, however, the bill was amended to make the proposed punishment for playing online poker and other forms of online gaming even more severe. This amendment provided that placing bets online would be considered a Class C Felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and is on the same legal level as being convicted as a sexual predator.

One question constantly asked is how does the state of Washington plans on enforcing this law. No word yet from Washington, but some thoughts were credit card, bank statements and possibly ISP's being subpoenaed which will obviously raise opposition from privacy groups and probably the ACLU.

We'll be watching this story closely and will update you on any changes or oppositions to this new anti-online gaming ban.

Here is a direct link to the bill that was passed. Washington State Senate Bill 6613.

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