The Cereus Network which consists of the online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker have recently blocked any and all IP addresses that reside within the state of Kentucky. The reason for the block is due to the legal problems that are going on with over 140 online domain names and the commonwealth of Kentucky which is trying to seize all of the domains unless certain restrictions are met by the online domains. Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker are apart of this legal battle.
The move to block the Kentucky IP addresses was made so that the mass majority of its players would not be affected by the legal battle if the two online poker rooms did not meet the requirements that the courts had put forth. Their was an e-mail that was sent out to players that do reside in Kentucky and that e-mail read, “We have taken this action in order to ensure that the vast number of our customers, who do not reside in Kentucky, continue to have access to our sites and to enjoy playing online poker without disruption or inconvenience.”
The restrictions that were put on both Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker include players not being able to log in or register new accounts, making money deposits and players will not be able to transfer funds to other players or receive funds as well. However the players that are being affected by this block will still be able to withdraw funds.
The Cereus Network hopes that this IP address block of Kentucky is temporary because an appeal with the commonwealth of Kentucky is set for December 12, 2008.