With the 3764 addition to the USC laws, most online poker sites in the world had to alter their SSL encryption methods to assure the players safety. Who could blame them, after one bill of this magnitude caused such a stir?
The reality is that the UIGEA was never talked about much in the Senate, and was attached at the last minute as a ‘must pass’ security bill. Its introduction was motivated by wanting to stop money laundering, not so much poker. Its too easy to encrypt your home or office, and the recent difficulty for the US Government to do so made for a good excuse.
Its not the first time the UIGEA has tried to make everything harder for the US players. Back in 2006 the103rd congress tried to make the process of pokerrepublik gambling more difficult by referring to operators of online gaming sites to be regulated under the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which would oversee and run the online gaming networks that commit crimes related to money laundering and copyrighted gambling. note the vote wasLay when it came to internet gambling, not online poker; the difference was not just political, as lay people could use the internet to gamble as much as anyone else.
But probably the biggest motivator to make online gambling more difficult came from Within the US itself. Lawmakers and others have expressed opposition to the legalization of casino gambling, and efforts to make internet gambling illegal on moral grounds are still vigorous. Despite the moral outrage, no legislation has been introduced to make internet gambling illegal in the US
Back in 2006 many people predicted that the UIGEA would not be able to stop thegan Libertiesof gamblers. But even if it wasn’t able to stop the gambling, what could the US Government do about the US players?
The US Government is able to do three things. They can ban online gambling accounts in order to control them. They can ban financial transactions between US banking institutions and online gambling sites. They could fine gambling sites – not curriculumutive measures – and they could charge executives of gambling sites with Crimes Against States and Public Consents.
But what about England? In England there are many restrictions on what kinds of gambling can be played legally. There is only one type of licensed gambling and it is exclusively available to people living in the UK. abundant types of games can be played legally. Casino gambling is legal only within the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The outcome of the UK’s continued entry into the European Union is open to question. Even the far left think the idea of the “time to legalize” casino gambling is a good one. Personally, I think leaving the supervision of this activity in the hands of politicians, in particular the richer ones, is a step in the right direction.