By Samantha Williams

On recently reading the Gore Vidal fictionalization of the life, duel with Hamilton and trial for treason of the controversial 19th century VP of the USA, Aaron Burr; there is one comment the writer claims Burr makes about freedom of speech. He says something like – I can’t remember verbatim – “US citizens have the freedom to speak as long as they are saying what politicians say they may say”! It brings to mind the issues of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the fact that this law purportedly prevents US players from enjoying online casino games.

The law is ambiguous, convoluted and confusing to say the least; with tons of “grey” areas, and a Department of Justice which maintains that all online gambling activities, anywhere in the US are illegal. However, online poker has just been inadvertently legalised in Washington D.C. under the guise of one of the lottery operators of that city, while Washing State goes to war against payment processors.

Some online casino games are still available for US players’, in particular those operating from the Real Time Gaming software platform, and the big private online poker operators have grown to immense proportions post-promulgation of UIGEA. The belief is that these online casino games operators have not been indicted by the Department of Justice, simply because of the fact that this law will not hold much water in court.

Obviously there are many US citizens who would like to have the choice to play online casinos games legally and without restriction of freedom; they don’t play because of a natural fear of the law. On the flip side of the coin it would not be practical for the Dept. of Justice to indict every single US player who indulges in illegal online gambling. The trend seems to be that the Dept of Justice indicts companies who have admitted they have traded in online casino games after UIGEA was enacted; however, unless a firm or individual completely rolls-over, the only legal argument which seems to hold weight is when prosecutors target online payment processors. Apparently UIGEA was also passed into statue with no Senate debate and this also raises questions. This in a nutshell paints a quick portrait of how odd the law actually is.

One of the brilliant things about playing at casinos online is the fact that the handicapped, the elderly and other house-bound people, the ill and the isolated; have access to some light entertainment. Online bingo players for example, love these games and the social interaction they receive at their favorite sites.

Despite the fact that many organizations and lawmakers have kicked up a fuss regarding UIGEA and want it booted out; this call goes on being ignored. In the meantime – are people who are in the minority, who want to play legal online casino games; having their rights or freedoms to speak, to associate and do what they like with their own time and money, restricted?

By Samantha Williams

The debate still rages in the US over the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). While some senate officials see it as a good thing, the more forward thinking senators realize that this act is ridiculous and should either be scrapped or amended to provide a more regulatory law rather than this outright ban. But what does this mean to the internet gambling fan in the US?

The basic tenets of the law make it appear that online gambling is illegal, and while gambling of any kind is banned in some states, online gambling in these states would also be illegal. For the rest of the states however, online gambling per se is not illegal, it is the financial transacting between the gambler, the bank and the site which this law interferes with.

UIGEA effectively caused 2 003 US sites to look to other shores for their income, rather than wade through the maze of financial intricacies it caused. Major banks’ were forced to stop processing payments and this us why credit cards issued in the US, won’t transact at internet gambling sites.

Neteller was one of the safest and most efficient ways for US players online to make and receive payments from these sites, and UIGEA messed with them also. The Caribbean lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization to the effect that this law violated trade accords, as did the European Union, and yet, no satisfactory response from the US is or has been forthcoming.

There are many internet gambling sites which won’t deal with US players because of the red tape involved, however, there a number of sites which won’t back down and they continue to ply their trade with US players. Companies such as 888.com completely pulled out of the US and have become incredibly successful in the UK and European markets, whereas European company Bodog, still offers services to US players.

Various new and more sophisticated ewallets are available and these also help for US players to make real money transactions online. How this works, I am not really clear, but work it does.

Internet gambling is one of the biggest cash cows in terms of online business. It generally falls into four distinct categories; online poker, online bingo, sports betting and online casinos. However in recent times, more arcade games have become monetized and sites are specializing games such as monetized backgammon too.

Every single one of these real money internet gambling options has a way of offering games to the US market. It really is as simple as conducting a search for “Internet gambling US players”. To find a site which will suit you; gambling is and always has been one of those industries which has been strictly regulated, because the big profits it generates. So in the years since the US has had UIGEA in place; the amount of tax revenue they have been unable to tap into has been quite substantial. Perhaps this has been the reason for them suffering such a poor economy in recent times?