Minnesota Tells ISPs To Block Access To Gambling WebsitesGood luck with that... ( old news - 09:01AM Thursday Apr 30 2009) tags: legal · business · contentTipped by mnmark  In what's going to be a highly contested news, our users note that the State of Minnesota has decided to ban state resident access to all gambling websites. According the Associated Press, alcohol and gambling regulators have sent notices to 11 Internet service providers demanding they ban their customer access to some 200 gambling websites. That of course won't include the Minnesota State Lottery. Legal experts highly doubt the move has any legal justification, and argue the State is, well, confused: The state is citing a federal law that requires "common carriers," a term that mainly applies to phone companies, to comply with requests that they block telecommunications services used for gambling. But Internet service providers are not common carriers, meaning it's unlikely that a court would compel an ISP to comply with Minnesota's request, said John Morris, general counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington. Morris goes on to note that the law cited only applies to phone companies directly doing business with bet takers, and of course most gambling operations are of course now offshore. Not only does Minnesota seem confused about the law, they're confused about the realities of the Internet. Filters simply don't work: they either block too much or too little content, and users find means to get to the content they want anyway. Three of the four ISPs we've contacted for comment say they're still reviewing the State's decision.
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gaforces
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA | Gambling is the devil Better block all the stock marketing sites too. | |
|  | jc1350
join:2004-09-23 | Re: Gambling is the devil ...and state-run lotteries. | |
| 
birdfeedr
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI
 ·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | Prepatory to overturned federal ban This move is associated with a bill to be introduced in Congress to overturn the federal ban on internet gambling. Mostly, that legislation prevented financial transactions from US institutions to known online gambling concerns.
»www.informationweek.com/news/gov···15801153 | |
| | ashworth
join:2001-10-06
Pittsburgh, PA | Re: Prepatory to overturned federal ban More Federal BS... Barney Frank wants to ban on-line gaming, but somehow regulate it so the Feds can make some serious dough. Perfect example of how out of touch Frank and Congress really are with personal freedoms and the American way. | |
| 
duder
@rr.com
 from:
wvcaver
| next it the news and soon who knows what whats up with that next no news no email they should mind there fucking business but the lotto is ok right. leave the internet alone  | |
| 
battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000
| Good luck with that. I would hate to be an ISP in Minnesota. I can only imagine the flood of calls from the sales monkeys trying to sell boxes to block this stuff.
I wonder what they are required to do to ban the sites? Null route their DNS or IP Space? Gezzz what a nightmare to keep up with. | |
| 
footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| Why? I've always wondered why gambling on sports is banned almost everywhere. If states were to open their own sports gambling establishments (not mixed in with the casinos that seem to be everywhere now), they could regulate the industry to their heart's content and probably generate more revenue than their lotteries do.
Think about a sports bar with big screens everywhere showing every game you can find. Put in a section with recliners for people to watch the games as well as a restaurant and I think you'd have lines of people waiting to get in, especially on football Sundays.
--
It's a trick. Get an axe. - Ash | |
| | dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
| Re: Why? said by footballdude :I've always wondered why gambling on sports is banned almost everywhere. If states were to open their own sports gambling establishments... No, the last thing we need is another government-enforced, government monopoly. Either make it legal or don't- not illegal for anyone except the government. | |
| expert007
join:2006-01-10
Buffalo, NY | Porn is next.. ...Unless they can figure out some way to tax it. | |
| sjr
join:2006-08-27
Osseo, MN
| Money is the real reason The real reason that they are trying to block the sites is money. They cannot get any tax revenue from this and it has some impact on the state lotto as well, also the big lobby dollars coming from the Indian casino's who are impacted even more so by online sites.
I don't know why one would want to throw their money away at a casino or online, plus one has little or no legal recourse dealing with some dodgy overseas site. That being said I think it should be legal here in the US. The only ones it would hurt are the overseas sites and the casino industries (probably Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City a fair bit more than most). It could be taxed and would keep more money in the US instead to some overseas site. Plus the sites would be better regulated than what the current setup is. | |
| | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: Money is the real reason said by sjr :The real reason that they are trying to block the sites is money. They cannot get any tax revenue from this and it has some impact on the state lotto as well, also the big lobby dollars coming from the Indian casino's who are impacted even more so by online sites. Well, I have to agree with you. You live here, so you know.. the lottery here SUCKS! With all the money I've spend on scratchers, for example, I don't think I've won, collectively, $10.. not like other states I've played in.
MN makes a lot of money on their lottery.
This state also needs to learn how to start living on a budget, like the rest of the people have to. The dems are out on a MAJOR tax kick here looking to add taxes to anything and everything it can.
They want to tax clothes now, other 'necessities' that were once not taxed, AND, they want to remove the tax deduction on interest paid on home mortgages.. I suppose they believe the housing market is flourishing as is the economy.. ugh. | |
| | | viperlmw
Premium
join:2005-01-25
 ·Qwest.net
| Re: Money is the real reason said by fiberguy :said by sjr :The real reason that they are trying to block the sites is money. They cannot get any tax revenue from this and it has some impact on the state lotto as well, also the big lobby dollars coming from the Indian casino's who are impacted even more so by online sites. Well, I have to agree with you. You live here, so you know.. the lottery here SUCKS! With all the money I've spend on scratchers, for example, I don't think I've won, collectively, $10.. not like other states I've played in. MN makes a lot of money on their lottery. This state also needs to learn how to start living on a budget, like the rest of the people have to. The dems are out on a MAJOR tax kick here looking to add taxes to anything and everything it can. They want to tax clothes now, other 'necessities' that were once not taxed, AND, they want to remove the tax deduction on interest paid on home mortgages.. I suppose they believe the housing market is flourishing as is the economy.. ugh. Dude, don't even go there about dems. In Idaho, EVERYTHING is taxed, including groceries, prescriptions, internet sales, EVERYTHING except investment property. And this is a total RED state. These guys, just like their greedy business buddies, don't give a rat's ass about regular working stiffs. | |
| | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20 | Re: Money is the real reason If it's a politician, it's crooked.. how about I finish this statement up with "end of discussion".. lol | |
| | | | mc5w
join:2002-06-14
Independence, OH
| Idaho is also one of the states that says that only teh RICH can get an electrical contractor license. The existing contractors would get mad if they let in any poor people. All lot of it is money - if sports gambling were legal and taxed the Mafia would lose money and get liquid bodily waste matter mad. Same for prostitution, cocaine, and marijuana.
Then, there is the matter that Puritans dominate a lot of things. People like to pretend that our society is oh so moral but that is not reality. The result is that a lot of people think that they were born of a virgin and other B$.
Our society has also become a lot more paranoid than it was before 9/11. Every TV news program starts with the really bad news because if it started with the good news people would not tune in. Bad news is sensational, good news is boring. There are a lot of unorganized "conspiracies" that are explainable in terms of fads, stupidgroupthink, a$$h@lethink, and that politics is a mental illness that revolves around money. of course, fads do have to start from somebody's mouth. | |
| | dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN
| said by sjr :The real reason that they are trying to block the sites is money. Yep. Can anyone in state government say with a straight face that this is about the evils of gambling when they themselves will happily take grandma's Social Security money as she foolishly buys scratch-offs that are sold damned near everywhere? Or that they don't want to promote gambling when there are constant TV and radio ads for the state lottery?
This is about restricting competition. Goverment lotteries only have a 50% payout- horrible by almost any standard. Personally, I play a little online poker; the $100 I deposited a month ago is now $186. Why anyone thinks I should be banned from this I don't know. | |
| | | mc5w
join:2002-06-14
Independence, OH
| Re: Money is the real reason But poker actually requires some amount of skill therefore it is not pure gambling. If you get a good hand of cards you bet so much money on it, maybe even bluff the other guy into folding. Most forms of poker allow you to draw a few extra cards and throw away what is worthless. If your hand is FUBAR, you bet nothing and wait for the next round. | |
| PapaMidnight
join:2009-01-13
Baltimore, MD
| Thank The FCC for This The state is citing a federal law that requires "common carriers," a term that mainly applies to phone companies, to comply with requests that they block telecommunications services used for gambling. But Internet service providers are not common carriers, meaning it's unlikely that a court would compel an ISP to comply with Minnesota's request, said John Morris, general counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington.
You can thank the FCC for that. | |
| 
TamaraB
Question The Current Paradigm
Premium
join:2000-11-08
Brooklyn NYC
·Verizon Online DSL
| Moral NANNIES? What the hell gives any group the right to legislate morality for me? These Moral Nannies are nothig more than fascists!
Personally, I do NOT "gamble" on the Stock Market ... Hell! I am not a gambler! To force anyone to not-gamble on ANYTHING, is, IMHO, a violation of our rights as humans and as Americans. Who the hell are these people? What gives them the right to force their provincial "morality" on the general populace? NOTHING! No-one is forcing ANYONE to "gamble". However, if someone CHOOSES to do so, Who the hell is ANYONE allowed to authorized or to to deny them the right to do so? Is this a "FREE" ( and Democratic) country or not?
This sort of crap pisses me off! It's fascist thinking, and a real threat to our personal freedoms (the hallmark of a free society)!
Bob
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"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." -- Voltaire
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| Re: Moral NANNIES? said by Authority :I'm always amazed when these rural states come up with this stuff, I think it's because they're so isolated from civilization. Wow, typical California attitude there. If you don't live on the coast, you're just a rube on a dirt farm. I met a whole bunch of people in San Francisco with that attitude a few years ago. Couldn't wait to get away from them.
--
It's a trick. Get an axe. - Ash | |
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| Re: Moral NANNIES? said by Authority :the best and brightest and most accomplished people in human society tend to group together in the major hubs for commerce and culture. Sorry if that's not politically correct, but it's a fact. More like the self important and ego centric. If all the best and brightest are in California, then why is California broke?
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It's a trick. Get an axe. - Ash | |
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pp03
join:2002-06-13
Minneapolis, MN
| Your arrogance is unmatched by anyone I've ever seen on this forum. You make the general assumption that anything not on the coast is rural. Don't forget there are major central American hubs, specifically the Twin Cities on the Mississippi, Duluth on Lake Superior, Chicago etc. Not to mention this rural state has one of the, if not, the most highly regarded medical facilities in the world. You might have missed it, but Minnesota has the second (or third) busiest international railroad in the country. You realize that the iron most used in the United States comes from Minnesota's iron range? Did you realize that some of the most successful businesses in the country/world were started in Minnesota? Hormel, 3M, Best Buy, Honeywell(before the merger), and Medtronic?
Quit living in your stupid idealized world that the west coast is America's pinnacle of civilization. Also, don't tread on rural peoples waters. Their innovation is what powered much of America's industrial revolution, why do you think Wal-Mart started out mastering their supply chain better than anyone else? They had to, they focused on RURAL communities and it helped them be the best.
To address the topic, I'm sick of the blue laws in this state, no off sale on Sunday, this morality crusade needs to end. Having the second city in the nation to ban smoking in public was enough. I find it hard to believe this is effecting the DNR's revenue pool as much as politicians taking more than their fair share from the pot.
--
The History Channel rocks! ... you know it! | |
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Authority
Obama Biden '12
join:2000-03-29
Beverly Hills, CA
·AT&T Yahoo
 ·Packet8
·magicjack.com
2 edits | Re: Moral NANNIES? said by pp03 :You might have missed it, but Minnesota has the second (or third) busiest international railroad in the country. You realize that the iron most used in the United States comes from Minnesota's iron range? Did you realize that some of the most successful businesses in the country/world were started in Minnesota? Hormel, 3M, Best Buy, Honeywell(before the merger), and Medtronic? Well you got me there, that railroad will surely draw out every new graduate...
Look I understand hometown pride and all that but I'm amazed when people seem intentionally blind to the obvious. Talented, ambitious intelligent people are drawn like magnets to cultural centers. New York. San Francisco. Boston. Los Angeles. London. You don't graduate with a business degree from a top school and say hmmm... I'm going to go out and change the world starting in Minnesota.
You can call it arrogant if that makes you feel better, but the fact remains that the coastal population centers are where our cultural, political, economic, scientific, and financial action happens... and while there are always exceptions, that's usually where the smart people want to be.
Addendum: "The 2000 United States Census Bureau published a special report on domestic worker migration, with a focus on the movement of young, single, college-educated migrants.[59] The data shows a trend of such people moving away from the Rust Belt and northern Great Plains region towards the West Coast and Southeast. The area with the largest net influx of young, single, college-educated persons was the San Francisco Bay Area." »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_drain | |
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pp03
join:2002-06-13
Minneapolis, MN
1 edit | Re: Moral NANNIES? It isn't being naive and full of home town pride, you just seem to pretend that all great achievement has been on each coast or will be; it hasn't and it won't.
Many people with top degrees come to Minnesota to 'change the world', it is in the top 6 (or was) most educated population in the Union, according to degree per capita. I don't notice a large amount of brain drain.
»encarta.msn.com/encnet/departmen···edstates
Pretend for a moment I'm not very imaginative, it isn't hard to do, because I'm not.
Give me one hypothetical situation whereby you can change more in California, for the world, than you can in Minnesota. That seems o be your reigning belief, so again it can even be hypothetical. Remember, modern era, global world -- internet, so 20th century examples and earlier are not likely valid arguments.
Edit: In regard to your link, the rust belt is/was a deteriorating manufacturing hub far away from Minnesota and its deterioration is a lot more to do with affordable production costs abroad, not in CA or NY. As far as the Northern planes, such a small section of that is the Southwest corner of Minnesota that it isn't even worth mentioning :P But, for those states that is an issue. Their private sector doesn't have vast opportunity in many fields because they are primarily agricultural states.
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The History Channel rocks! ... you know it! | |
| | | | | | | | | | | dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN | What would someone from Beverly Hills know about "civilization"?
As far as legislating morality- which state was it that started with the draconian smoking laws? | |
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gomer1701ems
join:2001-08-23
Minneapolis, MN | Re: Moral NANNIES? "Come and listen to my story about a man named Jeb. Poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed...."
--
"Don't argue with stupid people; they will beat you with experience." | |
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See 10 replies to this post | |
RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY
| State Mandated Gambling If you want to be accurate, the fact that the State REQUIRES that you have insurance as a prerequisite for being granted the right to drive is a form of mandated gambling. They force you to gamble (by paying the insurance company) that you will have an accident that will cost more than the money that you pay as premiums. If you never have to file a claim (as is the overwhelming probability) for more than your cumulative premiums, you "lose" your bet. | |
| | 
Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
| Re: State Mandated Gambling said by RARPSL :If you want to be accurate, the fact that the State REQUIRES that you have insurance as a prerequisite for being granted the right to drive is a form of mandated gambling. No: it's insuring that you'll be responsible for harm you cause to others. | |
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RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY
| Re: State Mandated Gambling said by Steve :said by RARPSL :If you want to be accurate, the fact that the State REQUIRES that you have insurance as a prerequisite for being granted the right to drive is a form of mandated gambling. No: it's insuring that you'll be responsible for harm you cause to others. Which can just as well be handled with a escrowed payment or other forms of funds that are pledged while remaining your property until needed. | |
| | | | mc5w
join:2002-06-14
Independence, OH
| Re: State Mandated Gambling Nobody profits from an automobile accident except the insurance companies, the car dealers, and the car loan people.
An automobile accident stuck me with an upside down car with a high interest loan - this used car actually costy more than a new car but with my limited income as an apprentice electrician the car dealer and the bank crammed what they could down my throat. Later on, somebody in a big Cadillac shoved 2 cars into my rear end and drove off. Had to store it and pay for storage for nearly a year before I got the car loan paid down enough to transfer the balance to a credit card and scrap the car.
Ohio allows posting of a hefty cash bond instead of insurance which means that the rich ( or just big ) companies can be their own insurance companies.
If somebody runs into you and puts you in the hospital, would you want THEIR insurance to pay for it?
The only gambling that is forced with car insurance is that the National City Lines conspiracy destroyed public transportation in most areas of the U.S. forcing us to buy cars. | |
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Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
| said by RARPSL : Which can just as well be handled with a escrowed payment or other forms of funds that are pledged while remaining your property until needed. I believe that California allows for a form of self insurance as you suggest - would you actually use that option if it were available?
--
Stephen J. Friedl | Unix Wizard | Microsoft Security MVP | Orange County, California USA | my web site | |
| 
Laughing Man
Stand Alone Complex
Premium
join:2008-03-17
Louisville, KY
clubs: | Probably won't work Kentucky tried the same thing last fall, blocked access to those sites during winter, higher court reversed the decision earlier this year and now those sites starting becoming publicly accessible again last month. | |
| 
jayner
join:2001-10-30
Philadelphia, PA | Block these sites as well Block all PORN
Block all sites thet tell Jokes!!
Block all game servers (to violent)
I am sure I will think of more.
Who is thinking of the CHILDREN!!!!
JK | |
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Cheeseandrice
@comcast.net
| This is rediculous Okay I have to believe that somewhere in Minnesota (and other states) there are a bunch of idiots that do nothing all day but sit around a confrence table eating..... donuts thinking up all these cockamamey (whatever) laws, rules and regulations. Isn't there even ONE intelligent guy sittin there waving his hand going "oh oh oh.. pick me, pick me" and then telling the other idiots they'll never get away with it?
It seems like EVERY week we hear about some agency trying to regulate something or impose some rule on us and then they waste a bunch of time and money on it only to see it get smashed down. Do these guys just make up stuff to see what they can get away with? | |
| 
Hpower
Roflmao
join:2000-06-08
Glendale, CA | Yup $ can ony be the reason behind this. | |
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DJMASACRE
join:2008-05-27
Nepean, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| good good.. gambling is not cool, and should not be promoted..
i like how the commercials are just putting " this is not a gambling site" now as a disclaimer just so they can show the commercial ... which we all know is bullshit.
why cant people just play games for fun,
gambling ruins lives and wastes your money, its a risky addiction. | |
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lol.