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In an unexpected move, Minnesota government officials have provided ISPs with a seven page list of gambling websites that they must use to block customer access.  The list was made public this week and a sampling of sites listed include 21 Magic Casino, Casino Fantasy, Crazy Poker, Joker Club and Vegas Slot.  Numerous internet service providers received a copy of the list, including Verizon, Sprint, Comcast and AT&T.

The notices come from Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety and remind the ISPs that gambling is illegal in the state.  It also threatens legal action by stating that “upon notice by a law enforcement agency that you do not allow your systems to be used for the transmission of gambling information.”  The main concern is that this action violates the First Amendment and a similar action several years ago from Pennsylvania was overruled after being found in violation of the First Amendment.  Furthermore, this action would not prevent a person from accessing international gambling sites through non-US IP addresses.

Currently, the ISPs contacted have yet to give an official comment on the matter or their plans for complying with the request. 

Read: [Associated Press]