The Future of online poker in the US Part 1

Now that the much ballyhooed online gambling bill introduced by Harry Reid is all but officially dead I thought I would take a look at the future of online poker in the United States, and where we as poker players, the industry as a whole, and legislative efforts go from here.

The first aspect I will examine will be the role of online poker players in the upcoming months.

Now that online poker players in the United States are stuck dealing with the status quo we will have to keep our fingers crossed that the Department of Justice eases up on the payment processors that fuel the online poker market United States.

As players we must keep holding our elected officials’ feet to the fire in order to overturn UIGEA legislation and get a quality online poker bill passed. It is important that we keep supporting the efforts of advocacy groups such as Poker Players Alliance and iMEGA, as these groups are our voice in Washington and in state legislatures.

The PPA and iMEGA are our first line of defense when it comes to fighting for the rights of poker players. With frequent updates regarding upcoming, and ongoing, legislation as well as informing the poker community which elected officials are for and against legalizing online poker; these advocacy groups are shedding light on what exactly is included within the legislation–something very few poker players have the time or the energy to do on their own.

Even though the bill failed to pass we were privy to some very enlightening insights into the world of online poker and the online poker industry, as many leading industry officials came out in favor of the bill despite the numerous regulations and stipulations that would adversely affect their business. This points to just how dire the situation in the United States is when it comes to online gambling; online poker sites were willing to enter into a 15-month blackout period In order to get the bill passed, a decision that should have online poker players in the United States very worried.

United States poker play should be very careful with the money they keep online until the industry is regulated and legalize. As Lee Jones stated on 2+2; the bill fails to pass will likely that online poker will be prohibited in the United States. And although states such as New Jersey and California have been pushing to legalize online gambling, at the federal level they are going in the opposite correction. The Department of Justice has been tightening the noose around the online poker industry’s neck since UIGEA legislation went into full effect in June of 2010. United States poker players have seen their deposit and withdrawal options dry-up in that time, as well as many payment processor shutdown and brought up on charges: which is unlikely to change now that online poker legislation failed US Senate.