What happened to the July 2007 deadline?

[Petomane]

Obviously online poker, a multi billion industry won’t disappear from America for long. It is quite appalling that conglomerates can pay off congress to get rid of successful business rivals and claim their turf. Protectionism, international piracy, thuggery, call it what you will, this is a very ominous development for the entire Internet. What successful independent online business is safe now?

I think this is an issue of the freedom of the Internet and not gambling at all. What somebody does with their money, on their time on the Internet is nobody's business, whether it's poker or babes shagging donkeys. As long as we're not doing harm, we can fritter away our money however we please. If we're lucky enough to win some, well, it used to go through American banking institutions and we HAD to pay taxes. Now we're driven underground.

Does online poker even fall under the jurisdiction of American gaming commissions? It's the cyberspace. And the gaming rules change in every state of the union. But this is cyberspace. Nobody owns cyberspace...yet. So why are American lawmakers passing judgment on online poker? It ain't theirs to regulate. Worse depravity than poker is all over Internet - are they planning to start regulating the entire Internet and telling people what they can't do?

Now what about E-Bay and all those transactions? Whose jurisdiction is that? The commerce department? Some people make a living trading on E-Bay - how soon before the feds step in and close that "racket". And more people get ripped off on E-Bay than they ever did by any poker site.

Sometime this year we’ll see “licensed” poker sites. Licensed by whom? The American government? What right has the American government to regulate anything online, provided it’s doing no harm? Now what if the Brazilian government decides that straights beat flushes? And Iceland decides that bad beat jackpots are illegal? The beauty of the Internet is that no one owns it.

As it so happens, online poker is doing just fine self-regulating. If there ever was anything slightly shady, 23 million of us wouldn't be playing it. In my four years, I've never had a single goddamn problem with cashouts. If a site sucks, nobody uses it. In fact, Neteller was more efficient than any American bank - is that why they got arrested? The leading poker sites keep improving their software and their games. In countries outside of the U.S. these are members of the stock exchange. If they're being made accountable over in England, shouldn't that be enough?

But poker isn't banned, American financial institutions are banned from dealing with only certain online gambling sites, but not others. Given the worldwide popularity of online gambling, shouldn't Bank of America be a little upset too? Or will Harrah's "regulated" poker sites will soon be up and running? I mean, they're already testing the software inside their casinos.

The UIGEA is a blatant grab by the American government to privatize the Internet and hand it over to big business. Naughty gambling is a good test case, because upstanding citizens don’t care. What’s next? Regulating online blogs? You can still charge hookers on your MasterCard, but not poker.

And why on earth did we bother to vote? The Democrats came in and snuffed our beloved pastime in no time at all. What happened to the July 2007 deadline?

Apparently 23 million Americans played online poker. Call your congresspeople and they’ll give it back to us, regulated, licensed, sanitized and handed over to big business lock, stock and barrel.

[Marc H]

tl;dr

But if you're referring to the 270 days to promulgate regulations to implement the UIGEA, the clock is still ticking.

[OasisG]

well written Peto

[Petomane]

Didn't they just implement the regulations yesterday? No American bank is accepting money from poker sites. What else is there left to implement, besides arresting those who still insist on playing?

[RoundGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
Didn't they just implement the regulations yesterday? No American bank is accepting money from poker sites. What else is there left to implement, besides arresting those who still insist on playing?

[/ QUOTE ]
What the hell are you talking about? What bank isn't accepting "money from poker sites"?

[solucky]

I am not an american.
1. They attack the big companys
2. They try to close payment options
3. They attack payments from the pokersites including paper checks / not any but here and there
4. If they really want stop onlinegambling couldnt they make the next law that attack the players ?

My most concern is that the usual let me spend 50$ player will leave and the games dry out. The huge amount of non-US players play small and microstakes.

[LeapFrog]

[ QUOTE ]
Didn't they just implement the regulations yesterday? No American bank is accepting money from poker sites. What else is there left to implement, besides arresting those who still insist on playing?

[/ QUOTE ]

The regs aren't even written yet. Also once they are the banks will according to legend be given a grace period before they are required to be in compliance. The current Neteller arrests and subsequent fallout are related to an existing law the Wire Act. Thats the cliff notes version anyways.

[curious123]

NACHA internet gambling Operations Bulletin.

[chopper5654]

[ QUOTE ]
Didn't they just implement the regulations yesterday? No American bank is accepting money from poker sites. What else is there left to implement, besides arresting those who still insist on playing?

[/ QUOTE ]

you just ruined the credibility you gained from your OP. all banks still have the CHOICE to accept money from poker sites. there will also be a "grace period" for us to get out money out of the sites and into our accounts once the regs go into effect (which hasnt happened yet, either). yesterday all that happened was NT pulled out of the US, and some others followed (like when party left this summer). and NT pulled b/c they had some FORMER execs/owners arrested that had no affiliation to NT anymore, but set foot on american territory. read the news before you say something like this, please. and the feds will not come after the "individual." the law says that. they will only arrest employees of the companies "aiding gambling transactions." geez.

the deadline has NOT changed, but any company/bank can decide to comply however early they want to.

[Sniper]

That's not the ONLY thing that happened... but bottom line... be patient and let things sort themselves out...