Maryland has stopped promoting gambling in the Philippines, which is a positive development. State officials announced on Friday that they have successfully reclaimed the domain name StarSpangled200.org, which is printed on 798,000 commemorative license plates, putting an end to an embarrassing situation.
The domain was initially intended to honor the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which played a significant role in inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem of the United States.
StarSpangled200.org was managed by a nonprofit organization called Star Spangled 200 Inc. Someone dropped the ball and the domain was picked up in expired auctions; visitors were redirected to a website promoting online gambling, including virtual cockfighting.
In a statement, Maryland officials stated that they recovered StarSpangled200.org in collaboration with the state’s Department of Information Technology. In essence, the Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) utilized the services of a “trustworthy domain broker” to buy the domain back. The price was not mentioned.
It’s not the first time that Star Spangled 200 Inc. dropped the proverbial ball, apparently.
The domain name StarSpangled200.com, also used by the organization in the past, was also taken over by someone seeking to utilize its traffic and displays content related to nutrition and workouts.
Source: The Washington Post.
I wonder what the state paid to get the domain back?