Attorney General's News Release

May 28, 1997

Nixon asks for court order to stop Coeur D'Alene tribe from offering "US Lottery" over the Internet in Missouri

Kansas City, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon today filed a lawsuit against an Idaho Indian tribe and the operator of its Internet site to keep them from marketing and offering gambling to Missourians.

The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, names the Coeur D'Alene tribe, of Plummer, Idaho, and UniStar Entertainment Inc., of Englewood Colo., as defendants. UniStar operates and manages a website for the tribe under the name "US Lottery." The tribe currently offers various lottery services on its site to residents of 36 states, including Missouri, and advertises that it will soon offer video poker and slots as well.

"This site promotes and offers gambling games that clearly are not legal under Missouri law," Nixon said. "The state constitution and state law provide a very limited scope of legal gambling in Missouri, and those games are highly regulated by law enforcement and the Gaming Commission. This site meets none of those criteria."

Last week an undercover investigator from the Attorney General's Office completed a US Lottery application, opened an account and then participated in the website's lottery. The investigator was told by a US Lottery representative that it was legal for him to participate from Missouri in the lottery.

"Online gambling businesses need to stop telling Missourians that it is legal to market or operate these games in this state," Nixon said. "Consumers, too, should remember that there are no safeguards to assure fairness and appropriate regulation when they gamble on the Internet."

The lawsuit is the second legal action Nixon has taken against an Internet gambling site. Last week the Attorney General obtained a court order against Interactive Gaming & Communications (IGC), of Blue Bell, Pa. IGC was ordered to cease any marketing or offering of gambling to Missourians and was ordered to pay more than $66,000 to the state in penalties and costs.

In today's filing, Nixon is asking the Jackson County Circuit Court to halt the Coeur D'Alene and UniStar from violating state merchandising practices laws by offering gambling to Missouri consumers or by misrepresenting that such gambling activities are legal in Missouri. The Attorney General also is asking for a court order of restitution and penalties from the defendants.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818