New Washington Law Forbids Gambling Online - Effective June 7th
Gambling People
to gamble online for money. The law seemingly does not apply to persons
playiong for free. The felony is classed a Class C felony, equal to
possessing child pornography, the torturing an animal and the like.
Penalties are a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.
The law has caused much discussion and furor between gamblers both
online and offline, having passed the Legislature this year, and
surprisingly, without much public attention. The bill passed
unanimously in the Senate and with only five dissenting votes in the
House and was signed into law by Gov. Christine Gregoire on March 28.
According to a 47 year old player from Bellevue, "To say playing poker
in card rooms is legal but that it's a felony to play online is
insane,". Bellevue intends to protest when the law takes effect by
taking a wireless computer outside the state Capitol. Other online
gamblers have since made strong comments about Homeland Security
getting involved with personal affairs and with interfering with a
person's personal choices after legal age of 18. Some say that they
will be disregarding this new law and continue to play online, with
those taking the stance that playing for free helps them improve their
gambling skills.
It is apparent that many Washingtonians gamble on the Internet and the
numbers have been increasing steadily. This is being fueled by the
popularity of Texas Hold 'em Poker in televised tournaments and
multimillion-dollar events such as the World Series of Poker and other
popular world class Poker tournaments.
According to state Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, the new
Washington law, which is upgrading online gambling from a misdemeanor
to a felony, was passed as an effort to be compatible with federal law.