A Seattle Pickle
If there’s anybody that knows the power of language and legal loopholes, it’s definitely Nick Jenkins of Seattle. Jenkins is a lawyer who has been in prison in Louisiana, but not for any legal malpractice or fraud or anything like that. He happened to have been an online entrepreneur who had a great idea to create a website that would almost certainly lead to riches and fame. Having such an extensive legal background, you can be sure he did the research on US online gambling and wagering laws.
His idea was to pair people up with each other in order for them to wager on just about anything. Still the loser had the option to refuse to pay, which by definition, is a loophole to the gambling law. Any friendly bet with no monetary exchange doesn’t count as gambling at all.
Still, two years ago his site was busted, and he has since done time in the slammer. While it has since been decided that his site wasn’t technically breaking the law, it is only because the definition was blurred and he had found a shady loophole.
While he is free to set up shop once again, and he is sure that he is onto something very potentially profitable, naturally he is extremely hesitant to try again, especially now that the government is probably watching his every move.
Now that the pressure is on to nullify the UIGEA, everything is up in the air. Things are taking way too much time, and things are way too confusing for everybody to even know that they are breaking the rules and if they are found guilty then definitely it is hard to tell what the appropriate punishment should be.
Back to February 2009 Archive.
