In Kentucky, the battle against illegal offshore internet gambling that has waged for a decade concluded on Thursday after the Kentucky Supreme Court reinstated a nearly $1.3 billion award for the southeastern state in a judgment against Irish bookmaking company Flutter Entertainment.
Originally brought by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2010, the Franklin Circuit Court’s judgment sits at $870 million, not including interest, which will purportedly be aggressively sought by the commonwealth once the high court’s opinion is final.
Gov’s statement:
“This will never be enough to make up for the damage to Kentucky families and to the state from their years of irresponsible and criminal actions, but this is a good day for Kentucky,” said Democratic Governor Andy Beshear.
That judgment, which was rendered in December 2015, was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Kentucky on December 17, 2020. The earlier decision was reversed in 2018 by the state Court of Appeals.
High Court statement:
According to the source, a majority of the Kentucky Supreme Court said on Thursday…
“The Commonwealth’s recovery in this case is certainly not a windfall, as the Court of Appeals seems to assume; rather, it is a recoupment of some portion of the countless dollars the criminal syndicate has cost Kentucky collectively and Kentuckians individually. The Commonwealth of Kentucky suffered financial losses along with the tragic damage to its citizens. Mental and physical healthcare systems that care for the citizens harmed by the illegal gambling are supported in part by the state.
“Money sent to offshore gambling accounts is lost and the state deprived of the taxes to which it is entitled. The cost to prosecute and incarcerate individuals who resort to crime to support their gambling is a huge cost on Kentucky’s strained and overextended penal system. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has losses due to PokerStars’ illegal internet gambling criminal syndicate. The amount recovered in this case may not cover the actual cost suffered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
