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WA Law: 5 Years in Prison for Gambling Online
tpoker writes "Online gambling has been an ongoing legal issue for the federal government, but Washington State has recently decided to take matters into their own hands. The Seattle PI reports, 'Beginning next month [June 7th], Washington residents who play poker or make other types of wagers on the Internet will be committing a Class C felony, equivalent under the law to possessing child pornography, threatening the governor or torturing an animal. Although the head of the state Gambling Commission says it is unlikely that individual online gamblers will be targeted for arrest, the new law carries stiff penalties: as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.'"
possessing child pornography, threatening the governor or torturing an animal
I'm pretty sure one of those is legal. I just can't remember which.
It goes from God, to Jerry, to me.
I don't know about you, but from now on I'm going to threaten the governor and kick the dog every time I play poker online.
Well, Prohibition worked so well keeping people from drinki—
Wait, I meant that sodomy laws do such a great job of keeping people from being homose—
Well...
Um...
*sticks finger in ears* LALALALALALALALALALALA!!!!!
What's that? I thought online poker was equivalent to threatening your children, animal pornography, or torturing the governer.
I thought it was torturing your children, threatening animals, and governor pornography.
"There should be a law that you can't put a law on the books with no intention of enforcing it."
/
No way! Then the great state of Washington could have these laws on the books:
It is illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole without prior consent from the utility company.
No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold.
Destroying a beer cask or bottle of another is illegal.
It is illegal to entice girls away from the Maple Lane School for girls.
X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.
All lollipops are banned.
A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.
It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.
It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
You are not allowed to breastfeed in public. (this is a good law though)
One may not spit on a bus.
When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.You cannot buy meat of any kind on Sunday.
http://dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/washington
Five bucks says they'll never catch me.
I got $50 that says no individual person will do any time for this in the next 5 ... oh wait.
What are the odds? If, say, I were a gambling man...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
As a citizen of Oregon, I must insist you got that backwards. Oregon should be the western half, and Washington should be to the east.
Of course I also still think OR, WA, N. CA, and BC should all secede and form a new country, a la Callenbach's Ecotopia. The Eastern parts can run around whining and bitching about how they have to pay taxes, but they'll be totally drowned out by the smart educated folks to the west. As a measure of our remarkable patience with their tantrums we'll even agree to keep paying for their roads, schools, and hospitals, just like we always have.
Of course, I'm also one who would, given a time machine, go back to plead with Lincoln to just let the South go since they'll just end up being a big pain in the arse when we force them to stay.
Anyway, the law defining online gambling as a class C felony is one of the dumbest things to come out of WA since, oh, Tim Eyman. Well, actually, I hope he hasn't come out of Washington because as an Oregonian I sure as hell don't want him here. Please keep your anti-gambling law too.
I hope you didn't post that from Washington.
If you can read this sig, you're too close.
"governor pornography"? Couldn't you just have given me a goatse or a tubgirl or a lemonparty or some such? Cripes, man, have some decency...
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
They should just sell insurance. $1 dollar gets you 10K if you are arrested.
In Australia there are laws stating that you can't be, for example, kicked out of a restaurant because you're breastfeeding.
I tried it once. I was kicked out of the resturant anyway, and the woman is suing.
The ______ Agenda
The gamblers known as businessmen view with austere disapproval the businessmen known as gamblers.
--Ambrose Bierce
rj
* Counsel the murderers
* Jail the rapists
* Hang bad drivers
OK, you've got my vote. Which district are you running in?