The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
Posted in Legal, Poker on October 13th, 2006 by Live PokerIf you don’t know about UIGEA, you must be living underground and have no internet connection!
I am talking about the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, a piece of legislation that may greatly impact the way poker is played (or not played!) online in the United States. This bill would prevent various credit card companies from processing online gambling transactions. It has already passed and is only waiting for George Bush’s signature to become a law.
Fortunately the bill will have no impact on players in Canada. Well, at least not directly. You can expect a drop in the number of online players from the United States. Many poker rooms might become somewhat emptier, but there will still be plenty of action, particularly here at Live Poker.
The only question on everyone’s mind is: is there a loophole? Some of the wording of the bill is unclear. It does not directly prevent anyone from placing bets on any online casino games. It only prevents players from using the transaction means such as credit cards for gambling. The only activity it explicitly outlaws is sports betting.
Check out a brief analysis of the bill by a law prof at http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/columns/2006_act.htm. It is hard to see how the bill “stops” online gambling effectively. We’ll see.
Stay tuned for more!
