In another primes example of good ol’ boy politics in the 21st Century, the PokerStars lawsuit filed by the Bluegrass buddies of Kentucky will apparently cost PokerStars over $1 billion.
Originally, Kentucky filed the lawsuit as a result of the poker operator accepting bets from the state post-UIGEA. The ruling in the PokerStars lawsuit case originally awarded $870 million, but was overturned on appeal.
Now, the Kentucky Supreme Court was happy to find a way to award the state the full amount plus interest which total $1.3 billion. The governor of the state said that no amount of money would make up for the “…damage to Kentucky families.” by PokerStars. A remarkably ignorant and transparently hypocritical statement from the home of the largest horse racing mecca in America.
Kentucky has a long history of promoting and profiting from horse racing and is currently making efforts to legalize sports betting. However, it’s no surprise that politicians in the state can simultaneously legislate from both sides of their mouths… or that Judges in the state would make a decision that profits the state financially.