In a ruling released by the Washington Supreme Court before the weekend, it was stated that banning internet poker and gambling does not violate the American Constitution. An online poker player from Washington told the court that the Legislature violated certain clauses of the Constitution by banning internet gambling, however the justices ruled unanimously that this was not the case.
Justice Richard B. Sanders wrote that “balanced public policy concerns and determined the interests of Washington are best served by banning Internet gambling.”
“The Legislature chose the advantages and disadvantages of a ban over the advantages and disadvantages of regulation,” read the ruling. “The evidence is not conclusive.”
“Many may disagree with the outcome. But the court has no authority to replace the Legislature’s choice with its own.”
The court also rejected claims that that Washington’s laws favored ‘brick and mortar’ gambling and said that the ban affects all business’ ability to transmit bets electronically. Sanders added that horse racing was the exception to this rule as it was not considered gambling under state laws, and was treated differently under federal laws.
The original lawsuit was taken out by Lee Rousso, a Renton based attorney and poker player, who claimed – along with his thousands of Washington supporters – that the state’s 2006 anti-gambling law violated the US Constitution.
This is the second ruling against online gambling this month in the state of Washington. The High Court ruled that Betcha.com, the peer-to-peer gambling site, violated the state’s laws, despite claims by Betcha.com’s owners that the site did not constitute a professional gambling site as it did not facilitate payment of wagers.
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