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WHY THE "ONLINE POKER BAN" ISN'T A BAN


Online Poker Ban? Get Real!

 

Online poker ban? We think not.

 

Let me preface this page by saying that I am not an attorney and you should certainly not take my words as legal advice. However, I have extensively researched this subject, received advice from those who are attorneys, and have followed this legislation's progress every step of the way. Here is what you need to know:

 

"Is the recent US legislation a ban of online poker?"

 

Very simply put, "NO!!!". Where did the misguided suggestion that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is in any shape or form an "online poker ban" come from? Most likely, it is the result of the mainstream media doing a horrendous job of covering the story.

 

The entire legislative process for this bill has been a disgrace to our government and should have received nationwide outrage and extensive media coverage. Instead, newspapers and cable news channels glossed over the subject with headlines like, "Online Gambling Made Illegal" or "Senate Decides to Outlaw Online Gaming".

 

The preceding headlines are an embarrassment to honest reporting and are fundamentally wrong in their language. Online gambling has not been outlawed despite the media's inaccuracies. I'd like you to keep in mind a few important points about this bill as a poker player. It would be nice if the media outlets would do the same:

 

1. FALSE: The UIGEA bans online poker. In fact, the bill never even mentions online poker. It doesn't single out poker, blackjack, roulette, or any other skill or casino game. Many organizations, including the Poker Players Alliance, are lobbying in Washington to gain an exemption for poker from the bill.

 

Those sensible enough to listen will realize that poker is a skill game and couldn't be more different than casino games played against the house or sports betting firms acting as quasi-legal bookies.

 

2. FALSE: The bill makes it a crime to play poker or any other casino game online. Read that last point again: it isn't illegal to play online poker. The legislation passed never targets the individual player and was never intended to. The US government doesn't care enough to throw people in prison for playing $5 Sit 'n Goes.

 

The bill doesn't outline any penalty for players or ban gameplay and it never will. In fact, in the words of 25-year legal analyst and Cardplayer columnist Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, "the legal landscape of online gaming has not changed...the new bill does not make online gaming illegal." What does the bill actually do? Read on.

 

3. TRUE: This legislation bans US banks from working with international gambling sites, something that has already been voluntary practice for years. That's what this legislation is about - banking. It aims to decrease online gambling by making it unlawful for US banks to send money directly to online gambling operations.

 

What is so ridiculous about all this is that almost all domestic credit cards and banks voluntarily stopped doing business with gambling sites years ago! Have you ever tried to deposit money at a poker site using your credit card? Most likely the transaction was promptly blocked by your card-issuing bank.

 

Thus, your next option is to use third-party payment services like ePassporte. Most players used a similar method before all of this legal garbage hit the fan. The beauty of ePassporte is that this bill doesn't stop your bank from sending them money.

 

ePassporte is the farthest thing from a gambling site and is merely a payment processor that is used as a temporary stop before shipping the funds to a poker site. The consensus amongst poker analysts is that this was repetitive overkill that was simply passed to cause fear and panic.

 

4. TRUE: US Courts have ruled that the Wire Act of 1961 does not apply to poker or online gambling. The Department of Justice would like to believe that the antiquated Wire Act still applies today, making all forms of betting illegal online. In fact, district courts have ruled the opposite as recently as 2001 when a group of US bettors brought a lawsuit against a major credit company. They refused to pay their bills for gambling transactions and cited the Wire Act as their reasoning, claiming that they should not be held liable since the online gambling sites were committing a crime.

 

The judge emphatically ruled against the bettors, citing the irrelevance of a 40-year old law that only applies to accepting interstate telephone sports bets. Perhaps most pleasing was the judge's statement that the spirit of the Wire Act does not apply to modern-day internet gambling. Another fact to consider is that there has never been a single arrest in this country based simply on gambling online.

 

5. TRUE: The motivation of this legislation was not based on morals. Corrupt Senators like Bill Frist and John Kyl would like you to believe that they forced this legislation through to protect us from ourselves - already a massive destruction of civil liberties. They make quotes comparing online gambling to crack. "Click the mouse and lose your house," was one such quote of rhetorical nonsense. They'd love for you to believe that they're simply restricting our choices because, left to our own devices, we're unprincipled and sinful. Unfortunately, even that "noble" cause wasn't their motivation.

 

It's all about money. International gambling sites pay no US taxes and have no reason to. Our government doesn't receive a slice of the pie so they decided to just try to stop the money flow altogether. Instead of legalizing and taxing online gambling like forward thinking countries in Europe, a few special interests have thrust us our country into another tailspin.

 

Do you think that I'm just biased? Consider this: the bill carves out special exemptions for online bets placed on horse racing and state lotteries. Yes, you read that right: gambling that is taxed is completely legal. Is throwing away your money on horse racing or quick picks less wrong than playing online poker? Apparently, to people like Bill Frist morality has a price.

 

 

"What should I take away from all this?"

 

The most important concept of this article is that online poker is still not a crime. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, passed in late September 2006, is not an online poker ban. The bill is entirely a banking transaction and has nothing to do with the individual player. Going even further, it doesn't even change the murky legal status of online gambling. It does not set punishments for placing bets and it doesn't target poker players. You can still play poker online and that still isn't illegal for all the reasons I outlined above.   

 

 

"Why are poker sites shutting down?"

 

Unfortunately, all of the publicly traded online poker rooms have shut their doors to U.S. players. Again, this has less to do with the actual legislation and more to do with money. Companies like 888, PartyGaming, and Sportingbet have stockholders to answer to. Investors will be extremely leery to do business with a company that appears to be doing something risky on the surface. The move is intended to cover their butts at the next Board meeting. Consider that the majority of privately owned online poker sites have stuck around whereas every publicly traded company has bowed out of the US market.

 

 

"Where can I find more resources?"

We will continue to update this page with news about this legislation. You can also visit our list of US online poker reviews, our quick roundup of where to play poker from the US, easy NETeller Alternatives, a list of legal poker sites, information on USA online poker, and all deposit methods or withdrawal methods.

 

 

"Where can I still play poker online?"

 

Below is a list of several online poker rooms that still accept deposits from US players and have no plans of changing that policy. By going through our site, you're entitled to increased deposit bonuses and promotions.

 

 

Sportsbook.com Poker Accepts US Players

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Sportsbook Poker is a brand new poker site with sizeable traffic accepting US players. To us, their largest draw comes in their ability to process US credit cards directly from their cashier without being blocked. Besides that, they have a terrible player base and a large exclusive bonus for our players.

 

U.S. Credit Cards Are Not Blocked

Our Bonus: 100% up to $1,000 + 10% instantly

Visit Sportsbook Poker

 

 

Bodog Poker Open to US Players

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Bodog is the home of the instant cash bonus and a fearless attitude when it comes to the US government. Here you'll find an overload of awful players, easy banking, and quality software. It was once one of our niche favorites but has since grown to one of the most popular poker sites.

 

Our Bonus: 100% + 10% instantly

Visit Bodog

 

 

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Full Tilt Poker has really thrived since they decided to continue US operations. They have the largest fleet of poker professionals and a substantial deposit bonus. Their poker-only stance allows them to work with a larger number of payment processors and separates them from the legal wrath incurred by online sportsbooks. 

 

Our Bonus: 100% good up to $600

Visit Full Tilt Poker

 

 

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

It's encouraging to see Superbook Poker open its doors and make a strong run at the US market despite recent legislation. This is another online poker room that utilizes payment processors that can successfully handle US credit card deposits. Intending to make an initial splash in the fight for US players, this site is offering our new players a double deposit bonus.

 

U.S. Credit Cards Are Not Blocked

Our Bonus: 210% up to $500 and $25 free bet

Visit Superbook Poker

 

 

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Now the largest poker site in the world, PokerStars isn't affected by this legislation. Besides the massive traffic of their ring games they offer, in my opinion, the best tournaments online.   

 

Our Bonus: 100% good up to $50

Visit PokerStars

 

 

Players Only Poker

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Players Only Poker is another new poker room with their sights firmly planted on the US online poker market. As this site has opened up past the UIGEA legislation, one can clearly see their intentions to stay open to US players indefinitely.

 

U.S. Credit Cards Are Not Blocked

Our Bonus: 100% up to $1,000 + 10% instantly

Visit Players Only Poker

 

 

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Perhaps one of the oldest and most trusted online poker rooms still around, Ultimate Bet has seemed committed to working around this legislation since the beginning. I don't expect them to go anywhere soon in terms of accepting all players. 

 

Our Bonus: 100% good up to $650

Visit Ultimate Bet

 

 

(Visit site | Read full review)

 

Poker.com has stated that they will continue to serve US players indefinitely. Their big promotion is the abundance of freerolls, which can be up to $20,000 for playing regularly on the site.  

 

Our Bonus: 200% up to $600

Visit Poker.com

 

 

 
 

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