Is Online Poker Really Illegal in the United States?
There are some confusing things going on in the world of online poker. Let us identify what the current US gaming law is really about. The only concept that is currently illegal in the US in regards to online poker has to do with financial institutions (banks). It is now illegal for banks and processing companies in the United States to process transactions related to the online gaming industry. An online gaming site owner/operator could also be charged with aiding and abetting. A U.S. poker player has never been prosecuted for playing online poker. There are five large online poker rooms that still take bets from US players. Those rooms are Full tilt Poker, Poker Stars, Bodog, Absolute poker, and ultimate Bet. These poker rooms endorse player celebrities that you ee all over your television set . Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, are just a few. These poker rooms are private companies, not public and it helps them to avoid public scrutiny.
I am playing poker on Bodog right now as I am creating this article. I successfully used my MasterCard card to make a deposit. The transaction was instantly approved by my bank. My bank is in the US and is called US Bank. Maybe we should report US Bank to the government. Just kidding.
The UIGEA poker ban passed on October 13th, 2007 has had very little impact on US online players. The online poker market has been consolidated into the hands of a few wealthy people and companies. Online poker rooms continue to grow and rooms like Poker stars have grown by several hundred percent or more overnight because they still take US players.
Online poker isn’t going anywhere. It is a 6 billion dollar a year industry, and the US market only accounts for about 50% of it. Regardless of the US poker laws, there is no Federal Law making it illegal for a US citizen to play poker online. There are 11 states that have laws against it, so you should check those laws in your jurisdiction first.
It is also possible for a US citizen to own a piece or ALL of an online poker room legally. The poker room should simply NOT take US players. No US players means NO potential problems. The highly awaited UIGEA court hearing to repeal the US poker law has been postponed to September 26th 2007. The case is being filed by iMEGA. The defendants are the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Federal Trade Commission. The defendants have asked the court for more time to prepare their case.
If the UIGEA gets repealled as hoped, would that mean that a US citizen could own an online pokerroom and/or casino? and operate from the US? or will this just allow things to go back to what they were before the new law. with offshore operators and US players. regardless…lets hope this gets fixed soon!