iMEGA Vs. UIGEA Hearing Set For September 4th

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) filed a lawsuit on June 5th against the US Attorney General, Alberto Gonzalez, to halt enforcement of the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act). It was revealed today that a hearing date for September 4th, 2007 has been set by a Federal Judge in New Jersey. US District Court Judge Mary L. Cooper will preside over the case in Trenton, NJ.


The UIGEA was attached to an unrelated Port Security Bill, signed into effect in October of 2006, making the facilitation of fund transfers by a financial institution between gambling operators and US citizens illegal - effectively preventing Americans from legally placing wagers over the Internet.


Attorney for iMEGA, Eric M. Bernstein, Esq. states, "The purpose of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is to prevent Americans from engaging in their fundamental rights to conduct their lives in the manner they wish to live it - to be free from the government imposing public morality in the privacy of one's home."


US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, the US Federal Trade Commission and the US Federal Reserve are all named in the case. The filing requests a 'Temporary Restraining Order' to halt all manners of enforcement of the UIGEA until courts have heard all testimony against the bill.