It was a bit of bad news/good news/bad news in Washington State this past week, as a grassroots effort that sought to legalize online poker in Washington State was declared dead, while a hearing was scheduled for a separate bill seeking to legalize fantasy sports, but at the same time might make Daily Fantasy Sports illegal.

Washington State is no stranger to online gaming legislation, as it is one of the only locales that has passed an online gaming law, which it did way back in 2006. Unfortunately, it’s a law that inexplicably makes playing online poker and gambling online a felony in the state.

Washington State Senator Margarita Prentice (now retired, thank goodness) was the driving force behind the 2006 law, which was later upheld in 2010 by the state’s Supreme Court. Prentice not only made playing online poker in Washington State a felony (law enforcement in the state has never arrested or charged anyone with this crime), but further angered the poker-playing community in an interview with ESPN where she dismissed the game and its practitioners as losers [paraphrasing]:

“I just think some of these arguments are utter nonsense. You mean you’re going to move so you can play poker? Gee, lots of luck in your life… I have nothing against card playing. That’s fine. If you want to do that, but I’m sure not going to worry about someone… you know. Let them go pump gas.”