US Online Gambling Legalisation Finally Comes into Force
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It’s been heralded as the end to online gambling in the United States, but it seems very little has changed since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) came into force, yesterday. After four years of regulation amendments and debate, the US government finally enforced one of main aspects of the UIGEA, specifically that financial institutions and banks are now legally required to stop players from wagering in online casinos.
However, according to a report published by Casino City Times, the only online gambling website affected by the introduction of the law is PokerStars. While smaller poker rooms and online casinos are still able to process payments from players who deposit via credit/debit card, PokerStars is currently unable to accept deposits made using Visa cards. John Pappas, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has admitted that he isn’t sure why PokerStars has been singled out, but also noted that “players benefit when the largest, most regulated and highly-reputable sites (such as Poker Stars) are able to process their deposits”.
Critics of the UIGEA have suggested that the legislation will do little to block players from wagering at online casinos. PokerStars aside, it seems that the majority of online casinos and poker rooms have been able to successfully accept and transfer payments from US players.
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