US DoJ Requesting 2 Week Delay In iMEGA Case

A New Jersey federal judge set the hearing date for the iMEGA case for September 4, but it appears the Department of Justice (DoJ) wants more time to comprise a response, requesting two additional weeks for preparation.

Trial attorney from the Washington D.C. US Justice Department, Jacqueline Coleman Snead, will represent the government in the case filed by iMEGA, which seeks to halt enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006.

According to iMEGA, the UIGEA "infringes upon basic constitutional rights and sets a dangerous precedent for I-commerce by criminalizing the transmission of money if the end result is illegal in some unspecified place".

iMEGA has maintained their stance that online gambling is not the key issue in this case, rather the impact of the UIGEA, present and future, regarding the constitutional rights of Americans. The organization believes that prohibition-style laws should be replaced by regulatory legislation.

President of iMEGA, Edward Leyden made this point clear, stating "Two major benefits come immediately from U.S. recognition and regulation of Internet gaming; transparency and tax revenues. As with the U.S. financial markets, transparency assures that broad access to relevant data and the balancing forces of a free market all operate to maintain fairness and prevent corruption. Similarly, in this age of a yawning federal 'tax gap', U.S. taxation of Internet gaming transactions and companies could generate more than $20 billion during the next several years - all while saving federal law enforcement dollars for the fight against terrorism and other dire issues."