Play65 Returns to Israel

After much negotiation, Play65, one of the biggest backgammon sites on the net, is returning to Israeli enthusiasts offering the latest backgammon news, resources and real money games.

In a letter addressed to Play65, the Attorney General had this to say, "After examining the Play65 site, the way players enter the site and the way prize money is won, it still leads us to believe that these activities are against the law, however due to the special way that the site works: The fact that the site doesn't take sides nor is a third party allowed to bet on a game, plus the fact that bets are limited to a certain amount and does not allow under aged players to participate, this is not a clear case of organized gambling."

In December 2006, the Attorney General released a statement banning all online backgammon sites offering real money, citing them as illegal and against Israeli law. Play65 then received a court order demanding they close all gambling activities to Israeli players. Subsequently, police banned all credit card companies from cooperating with online gambling sites.

A spokesperson for InterLogic, the company that owns of Play65, said that they chose the game of backgammon after much consultation with legal counsels and experts. This panel claims that since this is not a game of luck but a game of skill, it cannot be considered as gambling.

Play65 is one of the largest backgammon sites available today with more than 3 million users worldwide. Only a small portion of that 3 million actually opts to play with real money with an average of $10 per game. Play65 closed all Israel activity in December 2006 and after five long months of negotiations have successfully returned to the Israeli market.

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