The attorney general of Massachusetts prevented an intrastate online poker bill from advancing to the ballot and declared online gambling in all forms illegal within the state, just as she swore running for US Senate wouldn't influence her job.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who has used an anti-gambling stance to improve public awareness of her, refused to permit state residents to vote on creating regulated intrastate online poker. Coakley told the Poker Players Alliance a measure to permit poker players to play online so long as both server and bettor were in Massachusetts wasn't written in proper form to be included at the fall ballot.

Coakley announced this week she would run for the united states Senate seat vacated by the death of Ted Kennedy. Immediately she needed to field questions on her ability to continue as Attorney General while campaigning, but insisted her political ambition wouldn't affect her performance as AG.

“I will stay involved,” Coakley told the Boston Herald. "I'VE BEEN and can remain fascinated with the foremost decisions within the office.”

While Coakley asserted her attention to tasks at hand, it was uncertain whether critics had thought she would neglect her job, or whether or not they had meant she now has political implications lying on legal decisions reminiscent of reviewing the web poker initiative.

Coakley told poker advocates that the wording of the bill left in question whether Massachusetts could be in a position to legally force the payment of a suggested five percent tax on Internet poker deposits.

Despite the presence of no state law against Internet gambling, Coakley's office states on its website that each one online gambling is illegal.

Published on September 4, 2009 by EdBradley

Read More... [Source: Poker News]