Residents in Washington State will no longer be receiving subscriptions to Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines after an announcement by the magazine's publisher - Casino Publishing Group - that due to a new state law all residents of Washington with subscriptions to either magazine will be refunded for their remaining subscriptions, which have already been cancelled.

The news of the cancellations surfaced in the Seattle Times, in which a column examined the reasons for the abrupt cancellations.  According to the story, the sole factor was due to the recent passing of an anti-online casino gambling law which has effectively made betting at online casino sites illegal and punishable by a $10,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison.  The anti-online gambling bill, which is legislatively known as SSB 6613, went into law on June 7, 2006, and explicitly criminalizes internet betting as a Class C felony.

The decision by Casino Publishing Group came as a surprise to some since the law does not prohibit publications and writings about the casino gambling industry.  However, since both Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines take advertisements from casinos, online casinos, poker rooms (and just about any other gambling institution) the publications could be be seen as aiding and abetting the online casino industry.

Washington State's Gambling Commission said they played no part in terms of directly pressuring the Casino Player Magazine to pull their subscriptions, but said they are more concerned with enforcement of the online gambling sites themselves and in policing those who are operating within state borders.  The Director of the Commission, Rick Day, went on to say that websites who direct people to online casinos and provide information on how and where to gamble online should be held accountable under the new law.