Online Poker No Longer As Bad as Child Porn in Washington State

Looks like lawmakers in Washington State, not the Capitol, are wising up a tad bit.

Although we're not so much into reading laws as breaking them, hiring lawyers and fleeing the country, a quick read of the bill that just passed in the state that gave us Grunge, 'Bucks and Gates suggests that playing online poker in the privacy of your own home (but maybe not a friend's home) is no longer a Class C felony charge, which according to the funky bunch over at PokerPages.com is the same penalty for possessing child pornography.

Described by the lawmakers as "AN ACT Relating to providing an affirmative defense to unlawful internet gambling if the defendant committed the offense in his or her primary residence," the pertinent provision in the amendment reads:

"In a prosecution for a violation of this section, it is an affirmative defense, which the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence, that the defendant transmitted or received the gambling information over the internet, or that the defendant installed or maintained equipment for the transmission or receipt of gambling information over the internet, in his or her primary residence for recreational purposes. For purposes of this subsection, "recreational purposes" means for the defendant's own enjoyment and not as part of an enterprise that derives income from operating an internet web site that transmits or receives gambling information." (emphasis added) - PDF of the bill

For our post on the law that passed in Washington State last year making online poker a Class C felony and interview with pokerer Seattle John, go here.

For more on the recent amendment and its implications, head over to PokerPages.com and PocketFives.com.

For a video of Scarlett Johannson busting ass, go here