PPA Angry at Minnesota

April 30, 2009

The Poker Players Alliance is really angry at the state of Minnesota. It would seem that they have begun to take steps that would make online gambling and poker playing illegal within the state. The PPA was quick to react in defense of state poker players, and is not taking this lying down.

The state cited a law from 1961 that said that intrastate gambling was illegal. They will not allow online poker playing or gambling to occur within their state and have instructed all national and regional telephone and ISP companies to block access to any online poker or gambling sites by any computer in the state. They sent out notice to each of the telecommunications companies letting them know that it was illegal and would not be tolerated.

Residents were warned that if they have accounts at online poker or gambling sites that they are going to want to immediately withdraw their money because their “funds” may be “in peril.” However, legal experts say that the state may not necessarily be able to block poker playing or gambling online. They say that the laws that are being cited were not meant for this purpose and that they may not be valid or legal reasons for doing so.

The poker players said that this was simply an attempt by the state to block poker playing and that as it is not illegal to play poker they don’t have a leg to stand on. They said that they were calling the state’s “bluff” and that online poker is not illegal nor is it criminal. They said that they saw “headlines like this coming from communist China but never expect that it could happen here in Minnesota."