Casino City fights Uncle Sam

Here’s a hearty "Hooray!" for Casino City. They’re a Louisiana-based media firm that is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore from the U.S. Justice Department.

Casino City has had enough of the Justice Department intimidating radio stations, T.V. stations, search engine operators and advertisers from doing business with them. So Casino City filed a complaint in U.S. District Court saying their First Amendment rights have been violated.

Under Attorney General John Ashcroft, a modern day Savanorala with a tie instead of a monk’s robe, the Justice Department has run roughshod over the constitution with the way they’ve bullied people from doing business with offshore and gambling companies.

It’s not a coincidence online gambling ads have vanished from search engines Google and Yahoo!, along with the History Channel, A&E Television and the Howard Stern radio program.

Last year the Justice Department actually issued a warning to the National Association of Broadcasters telling them that accepting money from Internet gambling companies could be seen as aiding and abetting illegal activity. The Justice Department went so far as to issue subpoenas to several companies, including radio giant Clear Channel Communications.

“I see it as bullying to get the advertisers out of doing offshore business,” said noted gaming lawyer Joseph Kelly during the recent BoDog Handicapping Conference in Las Vegas. “… It’s an inquisition Torquemada would be proud of.”

No United States company has had the guts to challenge the Justice Department on this issue until now. It’s about time.

It’s ridiculous for the U.S. government to not only resist online wagering, but actively fight against it. In Kelly’s words it’s “like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon.” What’s the U.S. government going to do next prohibit alcohol? … Oh, that’s been tried already.

Casino City launched its gaming portal back in 1995, in the infancy of the online explosion. The company has several Web sites, including www.CasinoCity.com, which provides gaming articles, news, prize information, directories and playing tips.

“Our parent corporation had partnership plans with A&E Television Networks to promote the breaking Vegas documentary and associated sweepstakes,” said Casino City President and CEO Michael Corfman in a published report. “Casino City was to be featured on the History Channel website and in 30 national television spots, but they cancelled the agreement after the promotion had already begun.

“We were told by their marketing agents that A&E felt there was an unacceptable risk it would be viewed as aiding and abetting online gaming since it is only two clicks from our home page to an online gaming site.

“When you have an FCC license that must be protected to stay in business, you just can’t afford to take chances with the Department of Justice. That was the first instance, a few months ago.

“More recently a major Las Vegas casino wanted to work with our parent corporation on a promotion, but their lawyers nixed the arrangement because of our involvement with online gaming. The scare tactics employed by the Department of Justice have clearly had an effect.”

Now with this suit, and the World Trade Organization ruling America violated Antigua’s trade rights with its restrictive anti-Internet betting stance, maybe U.S. politicians might be forced to come to their senses regarding this issue.

“Anti-Internet betting has been driven by congressmen and senators who have special interests and their own agendas,” said Roxy Roxborough, an international gaming analyst and oddsmaker.

It’s time for other companies to show some backbone, too, and rally around Casino City. It’s also time for some U.S. politicians, especially those residing in Arizona, to join the 21st century.

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Nobody is wired more into the sports betting scene than Stephen Nover. Nover has been covering sports gaming in Las Vegas since 1984, and his guaranteed picks can now be found at Covers Experts.