In spite of the fact that Kentucky governor is pro-gambling, he is seeking a method to ban over 140 gambling sites that are operating in the state at the moment. The state of Kentucky is one of the biggest horse racing states. Steve Beshear, Governor, has asked a judge of Franklin County Court to give the state control over online 141 gambling site domain names trying to limit the state residents’ access to these sites. He is making an attempt to block sites which include the highly popular casino gambling sites, for example bodoglife.com, fulltiltpoker.com, and doylesroom.com. The hearing in the court is scheduled for 25 September, 2008. Kentucky is the first state that is trying to block an online casino gambling by taking over internet domain names matching gambling sites.

Beshear calls online casino gambling sites ‘leeches on the communities’. According to Beshear, they differ from land casinos in the US since they do not pay tax revenues, do not provide jobs and do not bring tourism benefits. He is sure that by blocking online gambling websites Kentucky will preserve its signature industry. The state is famous for the Kentucky Derby, one of the largest horse races in the USA, and there is a lottery in the state and it permits gambling at horse tracks and also in bingo halls.

Online casino gambling sites siphon money off legal and regulated games like Kentucky’s purebred racing industry, lottery, and also charitable gaming activities. Nobody has ever estimated the amount of money which Kentucky is losing to internet gambling, but Beshear considers residents are spending millions online.

Online gambling proponents think that Beshear’s move is very ill-conceived and very disappointing since online poker sites targeted in the total ban don’t violate any state or federal law.