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Archive for Online Gambling law
March 23, 2007 at 11:44 am · Filed under Online Casino News, Online Gambling law
The other night I went to the liquor store about a half hour before the big jackpot and it was lottery mania. 10 people in line for one register, and I was the only one of them not buying a ticket.
It all went smoothly until the women 1 person in front of me tried to walk out of the store without typing in her pin number after buying cigarettes and $10 worth of tickets. Rookie Clerk. After she was chased down and returned to complete the purchase, the next guy requested twenty-five $1 tickets. Wasted.
People addicted to scratchers are the worst of all, the most clueless and addicted of all gamblers. I have had over $40 worth of tickets bought for me as gifts over my lifetime and I think the return was probably $4 more worth of tickets. Why people play these things and think they can win, I’ll never know.
I refuse to throw my money away playing scratchers or the lottery but I do love to gamble, and like many other young Americans but my game of choice is poker.
First and foremost, I chose to play poker because I decide that I have a decent enough chance of playing and walking away with more than I came with, plus having a good time too.
Compared with scratchers and the state lottery, poker is completely different. Strategy and skill are rewarded in poker, where chance is the only factor in the outcome of the other two gambles.
When you play scratchers or the state lotto, your chance of winning are the same as everyone else. As it relates to Poker, it would be impossible to argue that over the long run every person that plays has the same chance of winning or losing. Experience, knowledge, and a correct strategy are weighted much more heavily in Poker, and the game is more complex.
In other words, it is very easy to see that poker is not a game of chance. Unfortunately, our politicians don’t accept this and have banned financial transactions with gambling web sites that provide “games of chance” for real money.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was slipped into a port security measure at the last minute of the legislative session by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. No real debate ever took place on the gambling part of the bill, as it was slipped in right before the final vote of the port security measure after debate had commenced.
Given the security ramifications of the bill, it was considered a “gimmie” to pass given the end of the congressional session and Frist took advantage and overexerted his influence as an appeal to the hardcore right-wing crowd right before election time.
It is a threat to freedom and democracy when one overzealous politicians can restrict the freedom of all Americans with no direct vote, and little to no debate. The bill also has economic ramifications including higher fees at the bank and has done little so far to stop people from gambling on the Internet.
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March 11, 2007 at 3:42 am · Filed under Online Casino News, Online Gambling, Online Gambling law
Online gamblers in the USA are taking a huge gamble when they attempt to play online. The odds against online gamblers from the USA are mounting. NETeller shut USA players out, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has confiscated funds, publicly listed online casinos have dropped US players, and the casinos and e-wallets that are left are all in a scramble.
Once leading online gaming payment processor Neteller recently suffered a number of blows delivered by the US Government when its founders were arrested in the USA and accused of money laundering, and millions of dollars in assets were seized. One player, Isaac Haxton, is looking for $800k that he had deposited in his Neteller account after a second place finish in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament.
What deposit method is working, and where? What works one day does not work the next, and there are reports of the nefarious “lost in cyberspace” deposits where the money is removed from the players payment method but doesn’t show up in the casino. Internet Casinos and sports books are setting up their own proprietary deposit/withdrawal systems, but even that is iffy as in the case of Intertops whose own PayTru card has pulled out and cannot be used by USA players. Some bank credit/debit cards are working at times, but may be refused the next time the player attempts to pay by them. Prepaid “gift” cards are working in at some online casinos (particularly at RTG ones), but that too is up in the air as they also can be refused at any time. Click2Pay is still working at the casinos who accept it, but only those U.S. players who already had existing accounts in place have that privilege, as Neteller do not accept new USA customers. Players can set up accounts at other online payment processors/e-wallets, like currently most recommended ECOcard, but that means giving out personal and financial information to yet another online entity and it will only work at certain casinos (most Microgaming casinos now accept ECO Card for deposits and withdrawals).
Suppose the player manages to get a deposit into the casino, and let’s say she/he is lucky, gets some good spins or hands and wants to withdraw from the casino. If the casinos are having problems accepting players’ money getting money back to the player is something of a nightmare. What’s working right now? If the player is fortunate enough to have Click2Pay, or other web wallets, she/he can withdraw to that method - if that is what was used to deposit. Players are finding themselves in a tangle when they cannot withdraw from the online casino to the method they used to deposit. Some casinos does not allow you withdrawing even by check - the default method for withdrawals of your winnings above the depositing amount.
Even if you managed to withdraw to a e-wallet, how do you get your money into your hands? Wire transfer from Click2Pay seems to be functioning, but they will only process withdrawals if they are over $1,500 to your bank. Some players who use Click2Pay (and don’t have $1500+ in their accounts) and other e-wallets have deposited large amounts to casinos, played a bit, then attempted an ACH or Bank Wire withdrawal which only sets off all sorts of money laundering alarm bells. Most casinos won’t tolerate it even though the player is only attempting to get his hands on his own money. ACH is working from certain Internet casinos at times. Some ACH and even paper checks are being declined, whether by the casino’s payment processor, or by the player’s bank - leaving yet more funds in limbo while the casino and the player scramble to find yet another payout solution. Some Microgaming (MG) casinos have stated recently that they will accept USA deposits, but had no idea how they would pay the player should a withdrawal be requested. Now they strongly recommend
ECOcard as the best deposit and withdrawal method for US players. You can fund the ECOcard account for free but have to pay $10 fee (plus your bank’s fee) to transfer your money to your bank account.
Most knowledgeable players never had a problem getting their money from reputable online casinos before the crack down and the UIGEA. But now that the US DoJ has stepped in… The DoJ has gotten its paws on millions of dollars of USA players’ monies. They have managed to bring about what they have said they set out to prevent. Players are getting hoodwinked right and left. More shady Internet casinos are trolling for US players everyday - these are the places that never liked to pay players even before the UIGEA crack down. The gullible, the innocent, the rookie player, are all fodder for these less reputable places. Trusted casinos are finding it difficult to impossible to pay their players. Good and reputable casinos that once boasted of 24 - 48 hour withdrawal processing are finding themselves scrambling to pay players at all, and it might take weeks to get the money into the players hands even if a payment processor is in place.
Gamblers who continue to play online in this unsettled climate must, absolutely must, stay abreast of what is happening in the online gaming community. Those who frequent the online gaming news portals and bulletin boards are the players who are more likely to play ’safely’ and know what is working where and are less likely to deposit carelessly. The single most important piece of advice is that (once research has verified an online casino as reputable) the player email or phone the casino immediately prior to depositing to get some info of what deposit options are working, and, more importantly, to determine if the casino has a processor that can pay USA players and what method will be used to pay out their winnings. The situation is changing every day. As old payment processors like Neteller has been pulled out of the US market, Casinos are trying to develop new effective payment solutions for their US customers.
A few fortunate, diligent souls who have the time and fortitude to track down their deposits and withdrawals through persistent emails and follow up telephone calls, are making this new “system” work. I hope you will have the time and patience to handle your casino deposits and withdrawals, and this article will help you to be informed about current climate in online gambling.
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December 29, 2006 at 10:26 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Gambling law, Online Poker
1. IT TREATS AMERICANS AS ADULTS
Adults should have the freedom to decide how they want to spend their time and money, without being watched by the government. This factor alone should be enough to convince players and non-players alike that banning the games is not the best option.
The risk one takes when they gamble is intrinsic to capitalism, and part of the American way of life. We gamble when we invest or buy on credit. Why should we discourage people from taking risks they deem worth taking?
2. TRYING TO BAN THE GAMES SIMPLY WONT WORK.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act calls for a ban on credit card use for internet gambling. This makes banks responsible for finding and rejecting these purchases.
Banks do not want to do this, and American consumers will be ill served This will raise bank costs, which will be passed on to consumers.
Plus, there are simply too many other ways to fund a poker account, or remain anonymous on the internet through proxy servers. Banks will be spending money to prevent something that will occur anyway
3. IT WILL GENERATE TAX REVENUE AND CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ECONOMY.
The games are already happening and the U.S. government is missing out on a significant source of revenue. It is estimated that as much as $3.3 billion dollars a year is lost due to the fact that internet poker is technically illegal, and un taxable.
U.S. corporations are also banned from entering the lucrative online poker market. These corporations are the places where Americans work, and invest and the longer they are forced to sit on the sidelines, the more money our country is losing.
4. IT CAN BE BETTER REGULATED TO PROTECT CONSUMERS.
Next, the American government would be able to license site operators and most importantly regulate them to protect consumers. One side affect of the new legislation is that online poker is essentially forced more underground. Previously, public traded companies like Party Poker were in the U.S. market however the recent legislation has scared them away completely This protection to consumers provided to U.S. consumers is simply one more reason that legalizing the games is the best approach for the future
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December 18, 2006 at 7:48 am · Filed under Online Gambling law
Online gambling regulation, debate and controversy has become one of the hottest issues on the face of the planet. Since online casinos began to become prevalent over the Internet with an estimated count of 2300 as of 2005, countries, lawmakers, gaming industries and individuals have been battling over whether it should be legalized and regulated or made completely illegal to gamble over the Internet. One major center of debate has been the United States where it is estimated that between 50% to 70% of all online gamblers worldwide reside. So many viewpoints have been presented as to what should be done to where an overall consensus is confusing at best. Meanwhile, other nations such as the UK, Antigua and others are not only taking steps to legalize online gambling, but are also protesting actions taken by the United States as their legislation against online gambling impacts free trade. A Republican led Congress together with President Bush enacted the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) bill which basically restricted the use of certain financial instruments such as credit cards to finance online gambling activities and yet at the same time states that it is not illegal for Americans to gamble online.
On October 31st 2006, the Remote Gambling Summit which had representatives from 30 countries took place in Britain at the Ascot Racecourse to discuss how to regulate and tax the online gaming industry. The United States was invited but declined to attend. Some of the issues discussed at the summit were age and identification verification systems as well as the role and responsibilities of governments that host and regulate Internet gaming operators, along with legal and ethical considerations, including those related to awareness and treatment of problem gambling and gambling addictions. It was the opinion of U. K. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell that regulation is needed for this industry, and that taking measures like the United States ban risks driving the industry into criminal hands, just like Prohibition in the U.S. back in the 1920’s.
For those not knowledgeable about Prohibition, on August 1, 1917 the U.S. Senate passed legislation to create the 18th Amendment which was also passed by the House 3 months later. This bill prohibited the manufacture and use of alcohol in the United States. The result was that Americans looking for an occasional drink went from regulated outlets such as saloons to “speakeasys” which were run by gangsters and racketeers. Even police, politicians, judges and civil leaders frequented the “wet cabarets” and “soft drink parlors” which remained open through graft payouts. At the same time whiskey sales for medicinal purposes soared. The failed experiment of Prohibition was ended with the creation of the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933.
Initial reaction to the recent UIGEA bill has shown similarities to Prohibition with numerous publically regulated offshore corporations leaving their U.S. customers, only to be replaced with privately owned companies where it is almost impossible to know who owns them. A number of privately owned online poker rooms have reported a surge in signups for U.S. real money players. Many online gamblers simply switched over to sites that would accept U.S. players and continued their activities. Critics of the bill state that the UIGEA actually does nothing to curb online gambling, because many banks had policies against credit card usage for online gambling far before the bill became law. Other nations such as Antigua and Barbuda have seen the UIGEA and other legislative actions the United States has taken as discrimination against Internet casinos and a restriction on international free trade. They have already won a case against the U.S. in 2005 at the World Trade Organization and are planning another filing because the U.S. was to comply with the WTO ruling and has made no efforts to do so.
Several countries besides the U. K. have laid groundwork to regulate and tax the egaming industry, rather than outlaw it, such as Italy and Belgium. Other efforts to stop protectionism have made The European Commission (EU) put Italy, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland on notice in April 2006 for letting state lotteries offer online sports betting, while barring other competitors. The EU Financial Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said in September that eight more countries might be added to the list of countries already facing legal action for refusing to open their betting markets.
Research by the British government shows that there are close to one million regular online gamblers in Britain. They make up nearly one-third of Europe’s approximate 3.5 million regular online gamblers. Combined with the estimated 20 million online gamblers and poker players in the United States, this represents only part of a sizable world-wide group of people who fuel a multi billion dollar industry that everyone seems to want to get a piece of, so expect the regulation of online gambling to be a hot topic for quite some time.
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November 26, 2006 at 8:07 am · Filed under Online Gambling law
The recent passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has many online casino fans in an uproar, and many others simply ignoring the new ban on online casino gaming. Some online casinos fans are even protesting the new law, writing an open letter to Congress in conjunction with the Poker Players Alliance. This group is a non-profit organization, which hopes to push the Congress to overturn this legislation.
Poker players and online casino fans on campus say that although the provisions may make it more difficult to play at online casino sites, loopholes exist that allow them to continue this activity. Will P. Deringer, a student of the Class of ’06 said that he played online casino poker 40 hours a week. He has since stopped. “I was concerned about keeping balances of money in online casino sites that might be subject to regularity restrictions,” he said.
In response to online casino provisions that pose an obstacle to online casino poker patrons, the letter calls on every person affected to protest the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE), which was the gateway for the UIGEA. The act, which prohibits financial companies from transferring money to online casino gaming services, fundamentally prevents online gamblers from using their credit cards to pay for the playing cards in their hands. Only time will tell how this letter will fare with the US Congress.
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November 26, 2006 at 7:54 am · Filed under Online Gambling law
President Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act into law today. The measure, which was attached to a ports security bill, bans American banks and credit card companies from completing transactions with Internet gambling companies.
The Associated Press reports Bush focused on security issues at today’s signing ceremony and did not mention Internet gambling. In response to the bill’s passing, more than 250 sites – have already announced that they will stop accepting bets from U.S.-based players. And on Thursday, Sportingbet sold its U.S.-facing businesses to a company based in Antigua for $1 and the assumption of $13.2 million in debt.
Publicly-held casinos have the led the exodus out of the U.S. market. Industry giants PartyGaming – parent company of PartyPoker – and 888 announced last week that they would stop accepting American bets when Bush signed the law. PartyGaming’s stock has lost almost 75% of its value in the last two weeks. 888’s share price has plummeted by more than 50% over the same period. Both companies drew most of their revenue from the $6 billion U.S. market.
But American gamers will find that most privately-held casinos will still take their bets. Bodog, Golden Palace and VIP have announced their commitment to the U.S. market. And about 85% of the online casinos will continue to take American bets.
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November 26, 2006 at 7:54 am · Filed under Online Gambling law
Congress dealt a massive blow to U.S. Internet gamblers over the weekend when it passed legislation forcing U.S. banks and credit card companies to block electronic transactions to Internet gambling businesses late Friday night.
Online gaming giants PartyPoker and 888 will suspend business with U.S.-based customers when President Bush signs the bill. And more sites are expected to follow suit. PartyPoker, which earned $859.1 million in 2005, says they will change their focus to the non-U.S. market.
“In the first half of 2006 our non-US business generated revenues of $150 million, a 151% increase over the comparable period in the previous year,” said PartyPoker CEO Mitch Garber.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) attached the measure to the Safe Port Act Conference Report. The bill also prohibits the use of checks to fund Internet gambling accounts. Frist had been trying for over a week to attach the measure to a Department of Defense budget appropriations bill.
The bill passed 409-2 in the House of Representatives and on a voice vote in the Senate.
“Gambling is a serious addiction that undermines the family, dashes dreams, and frays the fabric of society,” said Frist in a statement after the bill passed in the Senate. “Congress has grappled with this issue for 10 years, and during that time we’ve watched this shadow industry explode. For me as majority leader, the bottom line is simple: Internet gambling is illegal. Although we can’t monitor every online gambler or regulate offshore gambling, we can police the financial institutions that disregard our laws.”
Bush has until Tuesday, Oct. 10 to sign the bill into law, and is widely expected to do so. Federal regulators and the banking industry will then have up to 270 days to formulate the necessary policies to identify and block transactions to Internet gambling sites.
Also included in the bill is language that indicates that Internet service providers could be required to block access and remove links to Internet gambling Web sites.
“It’s just too easy to access Internet gambling sites,” said Michele Combs, Director of Communications for the Christian Coalition, which lobbied for the measure’s passage. “We think this is the first step toward a larger bill that will come soon (completely banning Internet gambling).”
The gaming industry says the measure will force a thriving industry underground and hurt problem gamblers.
“We don’t think poker is a ’shadowy enterprise,’ whether it’s played at your home or the Internet,” said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance.
Bolcerek believes that the elimination of corporate gaming entities from the U.S. market such as PartyPoker actually makes the situation more dangerous.
“The largest sites, such as Party and 888 and others, offer support for problem gamblers and are diligent about keeping children off (Internet gambling sites)”.
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