Rational Group Settles With Kentucky

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

The owner of internet poker giants Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars has settled a lawsuit with the state of Kentucky, giving The Bluegrass State a cash settlement of $6 million to deal with a domain confiscation case.

The case goes back several years, and began when lawyers in Kentucky tried to seize the domains that were owned by Full Tilt and PokerStars. The case drew some scrutiny, as outsiders wondered what legal ground the state had, as the servers were not based within Kentucky's borders. For its part, Kentucky argued that the firms offered illegal betting activities within its borders, and therefore had the rights to the domains.

That action caused the state to join the federal government after it filed several lawsuits against the poker firms in the Black Friday indictments. This settlement is a result of Kentucky joining that suit.

Announcing the settlement, state Governor Steve Beshear said that he will use the money to give the state a bit of a rainy day fund if tax revenues do not rise to the expected levels.

About the author

Dustin Jermalowicz // News Editor
Dustin Jermalowicz
Dustin has a long-standing passion for gambling. He has been writing professionally on the subject and breaking industry news for Casino Listings since 2011. His favorite casino games include Blackjack, Poker, and Hi/Lo. A proud native of Detroit, Dustin currently lives in Michigan.