January
To Prohibit or Not to Prohibit?
January 7 - A trade representative for the United States files to appeal the WTO's ruling in the I-gaming services battle with Antigua and Barbuda.
January 13 - In an effort to protect consumers from fraud, a Belgian gaming regulator urges the country's policymakers to regulate I-gaming.
January 14 - A letter penned by three U.S. legislators and submitted to the Christian Science Monitor could be an indication that I-gaming prohibition will be a focal point in the 109th Congress.
January 17 - Not even a year after the landmark European Gambelli decision, a new e-gaming case is pending before the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
January 20 - Racing insiders in New York are accused of using four offshore betting services to profit from bets after a horse was given illegal performance enhancements before a race at Aqueduct.
January 21 - Two legislators in Indiana re-introduce bills to prohibit I-gaming within the state.
January 26 - Yahoo UK and Betfair team up to form a branded betting exchange.
February
Casino City Blues
February 2 -
A new European trade group aims to unite casino interests throughout the continent.
February 5 -
State legislators in North Dakota propose a plan that would allow the state's citizens to vote in 2006 on whether the definition of gambling should be revised to exclude Internet poker, which would be reclassified as a game of skill. If the plan is approved, the state will license Internet poker companies to operate in the state and use the millions of dollars in tax revenue for education, property tax relief and other public funding.
February 7 - WPT Enterprises announces plans to launch a World Poker Tour online poker room.
February 14 - Yahoo! is rumored to be planning an online poker room through its Yahoo UK & Ireland division.
February 15 - The U.S. Department of Justice is successful in getting Casino City's case dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
February 18 - The Supreme Court of the Netherlands rules in favor of the Dutch Lottery in its summary proceedings against British gaming company Ladbrokes.
February 25 - Real Madrid and five it its international stars engage in a legal battle against seven leading online betting firms over intellectual property.
March
Battle Lines in Europe
March 1 - A hearing held by the New Jersey's Senate Committee on Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation could be a positive step for advocates of regulated Internet gambling.
March 7 - The U.S. Department of Justice sends a letter to the attorney general of North Dakota stating that a proposed bill that would license and regulate online poker could be in violation of federal laws.
March 10 - A bill that would allow the Georgia State Lottery to sell tickets over the Internet passed through the state's House of Representatives.
March 11 - After three years of speculation, Australia's federal government opts to leave the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act intact. With no changes to the federal policy, the focus has shifted to the state and territorial governments.
March 16 - South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds signs a bill permitting Internet and telephone race betting.
March 20 - At a high-level conference focusing on the impact of the European Commission's forthcoming Directive on Services, the European Lotteries warns against liberating gambling laws.
March 21 - A North Dakota bill that would have allowed the state to become a licensing jurisdiction for Internet poker is handily defeated in the Senate.
March 24 - The French betting monopoly vows to initiate court proceedings to ban foreign gambling businesses from operating online in France.
April
GATS Applies . . . Now What?
April 6 - Speculation is rampant in Australia that a joint-venture between Betfair and Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. is close to gaining a betting exchange license in Tasmania.
April 7 - The World Trade Organization appellate body upholds its a November dispute panel decision that cross-border gambling services fall within the scope of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
April 7 - The U.K. Gambling Bill, a measure to revamp the country's gambling laws, receives Royal Assent. Among other things, the new law will make the United Kingdom the world's first major jurisdiction to open up its markets to Internet casinos as well as other types of virtual gambling operations.
April 12 - Esquire magazine receives a subpoena from the U.S. government requesting information related to the magazine's publishing of advertisements for online gambling operations.
April 19 - The publicizing of proposed amendments to the European Commission's Services Directive confirms that gambling will be excluded from the policy--a huge setback for cross-border gambling.
April 29 - The I-gaming industry gets its first look at the 2006 Kyl bill.
May - August
September - December