Big name poker sites go on Minnesota blacklist

Just when it looked like the new Obama administration would bring some good old common sense to the ban on internet gambling in the U.S. the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has to go and upset the apple cart again. Minnesota have issued a list of internet gambling sites that includes big name players like BoDog, Party Poker’s casino site and Full Tilt Poker.

Referring to the 1961 Wire Act, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has sent a letter and a file with almost 200 online gaming and poker site names to big internet service providers requesting that they block these sites from being accessed by the people of Minnesota. The letter advises the ISP’s that they are legally bound to restrict access to online gambling and poker within Minnesota" citing federal law which "requires upon notice by a law enforcement agency that you do not allow your systems to be used for the transmission of gambling information."

There appears to be no rhyme or reason behind the prepared list of gaming and poker sites to be blacklisted by Minnesota Department of Public Safety as they have strangely included gambling and poker sites that do not accept U.S players such as Titan Poker and even big British bookmakers like Ladbrokes, William Hill and GetMinted which has the same IP address as Cashcade. At the same time as including names of well respected gaming and poker institutions Minnesota Department of Public Safety have omitted obvious inclusions that do accept U.S bets making the whole issue fairly laughable. In particular Party Poker’s casino site which is also included in the list does not accept U.S. players and the parent company Party Gaming has recently admitted violations in respect of the Wire Act and has made an agreement to settle with the Department of Justice in regard to these charges.

The Director of Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division in Minnesota, Mr John Willems is unperturbed by the anomalies in the list of gaming and poker site names, stating that it is a “snapshot”, and also that those included that do not accept U.S. players need not be concerned.