Minnesota Surrenders Its Fight Against Online Gambling

The state of Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety’s Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division suddenly and unexpectedly lashed out against online gambling by demanding that internet providers operating within the state block a list of over 200 gambling sites. This action came in response to a new bill introduced by state representative Pat Garofalo. Not only did a majority of the ISPs ignore the order altogether, a number of them sought legal counsel.

Aided by a large contingent from the Poker Players Alliance, opponents of the act argued that the legislation used to justify the crackdown was not only archaic but totally irrelevant to online gambling, in essence making the threatened action against the ISPs unfounded and perhaps even illegal.

In a total turnaround, Garofalo has offered to withdraw his bill and to instead work toward introducing legislation and regulation(s) that would control but not prohibit the online gambling industry in Minnesota.