Washington Supreme Court Upholds Gambling Ban

The Washington State Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday to uphold the state’s ban on Internet gambling. The court found that the ban on online gambling does not violate the United States Constitution.

The lawsuit was brought by Lee Rousso, an attorney and online poker player from Washington, who argued that the ban violated the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. However, the court did not agree. According to Justice Richard B. Sanders, who wrote the decision, the state Legislature "balanced public policy concerns and determined the interests of Washington are best served by banning Internet gambling."

However, Sanders also pointed out that the court’s decision shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement of the ban – only an endorsement of the Legislature’s right to enact such a ban. Pointing out that both an outright ban on online gambling and regulating the gambling market had merits, Sanders pointed out that it wasn’t entirely clear what the best choice was in the court’s opinion, saying that “the evidence is not conclusive.”

 The Poker Players Alliance, along with Rousso, released a statement reflecting their disappointment at the ruling that was issued.

"Poker players in this state need to make their voices heard,” Rousso said. “Now more than ever we need to rally together to fight this outrageous law. I hope the poker community will stand with me as I appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court."

PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato reasserted the PPA’s commitment to fighting this and other poker bans, and called the Washington State law “ridiculous.”

The ruling was the second one this month related to the legality of online gaming in Washington. Earlier in September, the court found that Betcha.com violated the online gambling ban, even though the site attempted to get around the ban by facilitating a betting exchange rather than being a bookmaker itself.