US Online Poker after 'Black Friday'

For those in the Online Poker World April 15th will be known forever as “Black Friday”. It was the day that the DOJ seized the domains of the 3 largest Online US Poker sites(Pokerstars, Full Tilt, and Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker), froze multiple Bank accounts, and indicted several key figures running these sites. The sites were charged with various felonies including Money Laundering, Bank Fraud, and violating the 2006 UIGEA.  The UIGEA was a law that was attached to a bill that made it illegal for any Financial Institute to process Gambing transactions.
We are now several months away from Black Friday and thousands of players still have funds that are frozen on two of these sites. There seems to be no time frame currently when players may receive funds and those players may never see those funds.

That would seem like the end of Online Poker in the US. In actuality it isn’t. There are still multiple sites that still exist that offer real money games to US residents that have quickly stepped up to fill the void. These sites have grown at a tremendous rate since Black Friday with no apparent signs of slowing down. Since it is only illegal to process the funds to Gambling institutions, players are not breaking the law and continue to grow at a tremendous rate. The current sites are not near as large as the previous sites, yet players have still shown the willingness to deposit and play. For a list of some of Poker sites with links to sign up including sites that still serve US residents Click Here.

Players have not only continued to play Online Poker, but they have also became more organized in their effort to get legislation passed to make it legal to play Online Poker from the comfort of your own home. Even for US citizens that do not play poker the fact that the US Government has taken another freedom should be very alarming. I urge everyone join the Poker Players Alliance (PPA). You can also send an email to your Congressmen by clicking here and it will only take a min. The email can be edited or sent as it is.

Online Poker is not dead in the US, but with good regulation and legislation it could thrive once again. We must pass legislation for the long term viability of Online Poker. Please take a few minutes and show your Congressmen that you support Online Poker and your personal freedom as a US citizen.