Microgaming Shuts The Door On Kentucky

In a move that follows on from the ongoing Internet censorship case being bought by the Governor of Kentucky to limit Internet access to Kentucky residents, online gaming software giant Microgaming becomes the latest company to “play it safe” and has implemented a system-wide block on all Kentucky domiciles.

As of this week, no resident of Kentucky is able to play at any gaming company that uses Microgaming software which accounts for a large proportion of the properly regulated online casinos and poker rooms previously available in the State. Additionally, one major licencee of Microgaming, Jackpot Factory,  has also decided that the State Of Utah also presents a similar risk and have subsequently blocked residents from that State into touch also.

On the same note, Judge Thomas Wingate presiding over the case has pushed back the appeal deadline from Nov. 17th to Dec. 3rd while the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (IMEGA) have today launched an appeal over the court case in a seperate action by filing a “Petition for Writ of Mandamus”. Essentially meaning that they don’t want to wait for the appeal deadline as the damage may already have been done.

Residents of Kentucky who wish to have a flutter online now find themselves in a very precarious position. As a result of the Microgaming withdrawal, the way is clear for unlicenced operations who must be rubbing their hands in glee at the boost in market positioning this action has inadvertantly provided them. Since the UIGEA in 2006 which instigated a similar withdrawal in some other US States, a noticable increase in fraudulent advertising and complaints from players has been noticed throughout the industry.

Kentucky residents who are concerned about the advancement of Internet censorship in their State might be interested in the protest site which is gathering steam - Boycott Kentucky - the aim of which is to alert the State to the consequences of their actions by boycotting Kentucky products.

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