Martin D. Owens Jr. Article Archive

Martin D. Owens Jr. has contributed 10 articles published on the iGaming News site.

Op-Ed | Can We Finally Get a Pass on PASPA? (27 March 2009)
Martin Owens, a gaming attorney in California, argues the case against the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act is (or ought to be) a legally compelling one, but the plaintiffs -- which include Imega and New Jersey State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak -- will have to overcome a great deal.

Repealing the UIGEA | A Lawyer's Analysis (3 December 2008)
Repealing UIGEA is not a realistic possibility. Now that the regulations have finally been published, we see that they are mainly designed to protect American financial institutions from being blamed for Internet gambling’s inevitable growth. The UIGEA in its final form is a beached whale; it is not only unintelligible -- thanks to its own regulations -- it is unusable.

Iron Fist, Velvet Glove (17 November 2008)
One of the United States' foremost legal experts dissects the United States Justice Department's moves to quash state-level proposals to privatize lotteries.

Editorial: A Preposteority Complex (25 September 2008)
One of the United States' best-known voices in Internet gambling law, Martin D. Owens Jr., takes a shot across the bow of Kentucky's governor, Steve Beshear -- the man behind the state's recent spasm of public virtue.

Editorial: A Supreme Court Trifecta (4 June 2008)
Even in London, what proposition bookie would’ve given odds on it? The conservative-leaning United States Supreme Court of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. delivering not one, not two, but three decisions, all favorable to online gaming? And all on the same day? If there was ever a time to buy a lottery ticket . . .

Editorial: Medellin v. Texas - Another Opening for State-Level Reform (28 March 2008)
It is well known that the current U.S. administration is hostile to Internet gambling in all its forms. But even in these paranoid, Patriot-Act times, it seems a little much to find a Death Row case that affects the industry. Nevertheless it is true.

Editorial: A Modest Proposal for Securities and Other Forms of Gambling (1 February 2008)
For years the I-gaming industry has endured the slander that it was a hell-sent lure, set to bankrupt and ruin the poor unwary player: "With the click of a mouse you can lose your house.” Well, people all over the United States are losing their houses in record numbers now, and attendant financial losses have driven the whole country, perhaps the world, to the screaming edge of recession (if we’re not there already). But none of this was caused by online poker, roulette or even sports betting.

Editorial: America the Labyrinthine (5 November 2007)
Sacramento, Calif.-based gaming attorney Martin Owens, with the help of a little sunlight and common sense, examines the "near-chaotic" world of U.S. state law with special emphasis on recent legislative developments in Massachusetts.

The Frank Bill - Four Potential Snags (14 May 2007)
Congressman Frank's bill, HR 2046, would not repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). It would change it, adding modifying clauses (proposed sections 5381-5389) to Title 31, where UIGEA already inhabits sections 5361-5367. And in doing so, it would also make a big change in American gambling law. For the first time, the federal government would be actually issuing gambling licenses and setting the rules on who can and can't play.

Worldwide Confusion in Internet Gambling Law: Digging for the Root Causes (1 April 2006)
It has often been observed on these pages that American law is in a state of almost complete confusion regarding Internet gambling. But when we look around the globe, we see that the other countries of the world are in almost as bad a shape. The powers that be are engaged in contradictory and contrary activity all over the place.