H.R. 4411 Bill To Ban Internet Gambling Passes The House Today

[FlopMaster]

Bucurati-va cat mai puteti de pokeru' online, se extinde peste tot moda asta, ne-am dus dreq..

[sever]

In articolul din EV Zilei cred ca e prezentata gresit problema dpdv al Europei.

Anyway, cred ca o sa joc mai mult ca niciodata poker pe net pina la sfirsitul anului.

[tribaci]

http://www.evz.ro/article.php?artid=274711

Mda, articolul asta cred ca l-a inventat autoarea acum pe moment, fara vreo reactie din partea ministerului de finante. Argumentul ei este ca „jocurile de noroc organizate pe teritoriul Romaniei prin intermediul sistemelor de comunicatii de tip internet sau intranet” sunt interzise, lucru care s-a stiut din totdeauna, neexistand pana acum vreun site romanesc de poker. Si chipurile asta ar fi abia in proiect de lege... Cat despre UE, nu stiu cat de tare au pus ochii pe gambling online din moment ce a luat pana acum decizii favorabile site-urilor sub criteriul liberei concurente ( a fost un caz in Italia daca tin bine minte ). Dar ma rog, om trai si om vedea, s-ar parea ca "the golden age of poker" s-a terminat... Pacat

[CQBad]

Cea mai mare idiotzenie posibila...

Toata lumea preconiza ca peste vreo 3-4-5 ani pokeru o sa inceapa incet incet sa scada ca popularitate ca deh...se plictiseste lumea...nu ca o sa se trezeasca niste boshorogi care cred ca dak joci poker pe playmoney sau dak depui 50 de dolari sa joci ca omu e acelasi lucru cu gigi camataru care baga 100.000 euro intr-o noapte ca sa-i spele...

parlamentarii aia n-au treaba cu viata...pentru ei crek si solitaire-ul = gambling...

[sever]

H.R. 4954 Safe Port Act - The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 2006
-----------------------


Full Tilt have issued an 'open letter' via their website that says, in part – In the short term, we assure you that your online experience at Full Tilt Poker will not change. You will still be able to deposit and withdraw money from the site using the same methods and payment processors you have always used, and your money will remain completely safe and secure. We cannot predict how the online poker experience may change in the future, but we do not expect any immediate impact from the legislation, as the banking industry has 270 days to implement new rules after the bill is signed.

[lukaszz]

Parerea mea e ca daca vor cadea in U.S vor cadea si la noi ,ca de ne pupam cu americanii , pe de alta parte era cam logic sa interzica acest lucru dintr-un motiv simplu , pentru ca nu pot controla veniturile din poker ,mai precis nu le pot impozita ,si cum statu te fura cel mai greu era inadmisibil sa poata face cineva un ban si sa poata sa nu plateasca impozit , cat despre america se pare ca a cam devenit dint-o tara a libertatii absolute , o tara cu regim dictatorial ,din ce in ce mai multe drepturi le cam sunt luate sub pretextul sigurantei nationale ,etc
Una peste alta am mai vazut un articol cum ca im principiu pokerul nu ar intra in categoria joc de noroc el fii de skill si ca se va interpreta altfel legea si ca sa stam linistiti .
Io zic sa cam jucam cat mai putem

PS: Si e logic sa baneze pokerul si nu pariurile sportive caci in principiu trebuie sa castige si companiile de gambling ca in mod normal daca interzici gambligul ar trebui interzisa si loteria nationala si pariurile sportive

[sever]

New anti-gambling law won't stop online bettors
By John Helyar
ESPN.com

Will a new federal anti-gambling law end online wagering? Don't bet on it.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act of 2006, passed by Congress on Saturday, greatly pleased anti-gambling advocates. The act also battered the stocks of British gaming companies such as Party Gaming PLC, 888 Holdings PLC and Sportingbet PLC, which generate much of their revenue from U.S. online bettors.

But experts say this $12 billion industry won't go away; it will just nimbly adjust, as it has in the past.

"I think (the law) will have very minor effects," says Nelson Rose, who teaches at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, Calif., and runs a Web site called gamblingandthelaw.com.

Rose believes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, in pushing the measure through Congress as part of a port security bill just prior to adjournment last weekend, seemed more intent on pleasing social conservatives than truly gutting online gambling. The way Rose reads the bill, it doesn't expand the list of illegal online gambling activities, as a House-passed version did in July. Nor does it criminalize online gambling for consumers or financial intermediaries.

It doesn't do much of anything to clear up this gray area of law.

Federal prosecutors already had gone after online gambling firms selectively, based on existing laws -- principally, the Wire Act of 1961. In recent months, they arrested the chiefs of two British firms, Peter ****s of Sportingbet PLC and David Carruthers of BetonSports.com.

"This (the new law) doesn't expand the definition of illegal gambling," said Rose.

Joseph Kelly, a law professor at Buffalo (NY) State College and an attorney for online gaming concerns, calls the law "highly unenforceable." The act makes it illegal for banks to transfer money from customer accounts to online gambling firms. But for the most part, bettors don't pay their online bookies directly. Payments usually are routed to offshore firms through an online intermediary such as Canadian-based Neteller, the biggest money-transfer firm in this sphere. In addition, American banking lobbyists insisted that the most basic form of payment be exempted if the industry was to support the law. That's the good old-fashioned check -- both paper and electronic versions -- whose volume made them impossible to monitor. So checks are exempted.

One result of the legislation, some observers feel, is that the more accountable publicly traded firms such as Party Gaming PLC, 888 Holdings PLC and Sportingbet PLC will be driven out because investors will desert them. That will leave more opportunities for sleazier operators to fill the void.

In that respect, the law could unleash something akin to Prohibition, whereby a social crusade drove an industry into the arms of the underworld.

"The U.S. government has taken indeed a giant step backwards towards a time in our history that we should have learned from," wrote Kenneth Weitzner in his online wagering information Web site, Eye On Gambling.

The difference between this and Prohibition, Weitzner added in an interview, is that "the online gambling industry has always been one step ahead of the government, in terms of transactions."

The current reigning model -- using online intermediaries such as Neteller -- developed when credit card transactions became illegal.

"There are many loopholes that will be found and have already been looked at," said Weitzner, whose online handle is "The Shrink."

The law, nonetheless, already has had a chilling effect, he added. In checking with one online site yesterday, Weitzner found customer withdrawals were up 10 percent, and the action on "Monday Night Football" was down.

Two things "The Shrink" would like the gambling public to know: 1.) It's still not a federal crime to be an online bettor, just to be an online bookie; and 2.) The measure isn't effective until the promulgation of its final regulations, by statute up to 270 days after the bill's signing into law.

The NFL season will be long ended.

[cccipr]

cine castiga de pe urma acestei initiative legislative?

Cei care vor avea de castigat sunt in primul rand siturile de plati online, gen Netteler sau Click2Pay. Interzicandu-se tranzactiile dintre banci si siturile de gambling, cazinourile online se vor orienta catre acesti intermediari. Castiga si statul, pentru ca tranzactiile nu vor mai fi efectuate intre o banca si un offshore, ci intre doua firme platitoare de impozit.

[sever]

U.S. Gaming Prohibition Violates WTO Agreements
WTO Has Ruled Against the US in Past Cases Concerning Online Gambling

The United Kingdom is one of more than 60 nations in the world that passed laws to allow, tax, and regulate online gaming, including poker, on its soil. It’s the first truly industrialized nation to do so, as well as the richest. And as a member of the World Trade Organization, with millions of dollars at stake, it will soon have to decided to try to take on the strongest nation in the world.

The WTO has already ruled against the US for attempting to ban online gambling, and now that anti-online gambling legislation has made it through Congress, more WTO complaints will probably be filed. The U.K might find itself in that line. Read about the way it was sneaked through here, and what it means to online players here.

The WTO was set up to protect fair and free trade among its members, and it has ruled that it considers online gambling to be a product that should be freely traded. It’s hard to believe that the US won’t face more lawsuits now that it has taken a stricter approach at curbing online gambling.

A precedent has even already been established.

Tiny Waves

In 1994, Antigua and Barbuda was one of the first nations of the world to embrace online gambling, and since then the little island nation has become a hub of online businesses who have embraced regulation. Antigua and Barbuda joined the World Trade Organization as a charter member in 1995.

So far, 30 companies are licensed by Antigua and Barbuda’s Division of Gaming. The Division of Gaming constantly monitors its licensees and suspends licenses whenever it finds infractions. The rules that the Division of Gaming follows have roots in New Jersey. Frank Catania of Catania Consulting Group, Inc. wrote most of the regulations. He’s a former director of gaming enforcement in New Jersey.

Antigua and Barbuda’s book operators have historically faced prosecution from the US government. Three founding members of World Sports Exchange were indicted for fraud, racketeering, and other things a few years ago. One of the members tried to fight the charges, but was found guilty and spent several months in prison. The other two members haven’t been back to the US since.

The arrests and the United States’ attempts at curbing online gambling prompted Antigua and Barbuda to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization in 2003. Antigua claimed that the US systematically violated the WTO’s General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) by trying to stop its residents from using services offered by companies located in Antigua.

It took a year, but the WTO ruled in Antigua’s favor and struck down the US’s appeals in 2005, writing that US had adopted "measures" that interfered with its obligation to provide free trade in betting and gambling services with Antigua and Barbuda.

Part of the US’s reasoning that claimed it was in the right to stop online gambling was that it believes that online gambling is morally wrong. The appellate body ruled that the US could not make that claim since it allows gambling on its shores.

To date, the United States has essentially ignored the ruling. The US Trade Office has said that it would not ask Congress to weaken the gambling provisions that has been in place since the Wire Act became law in the late ’60s, and has given Antigua and Barbuda the silent treatment with this issue ever since.

There’s no doubt that the size and economic power of Antigua made it easier for the US to ignore the WTO’s ruling. The future is hard to predict, but with so many dollars at stake, surely one nation will step up to the US and try to again swing away at this issue. It just may be one of the strongest nations in the world and one of our closest allies.

[srazvan10]

Like Prohibition, US drive against Internet gambling seen doomed

http://www.physorg.com/news79030209.html

[mache1982]

e groasa rau din cate vad.pun pariu ca tara noastra draga va fi prima care va interzice pokerul online ca semn de solidaritate fata de axa(poate o compara Base cu vreo carciuma de lux si p-asta).
o idee de moment cred ca ar fi sa se infiinteze o corporatie a formata din marea majoritate a site-urilor de poker intr-o insula din afara SUA si sa ofere la inregistrare si cetatenie pe acea insula.astfel se ocoleste legea asta stupida si SUA ramane iar fara impozitul aferent acestor jocuri si americanii pot juca linistiti.e o idee tampa la o prima vedere dar de obicei cu astfel de idei s-au ocolit sistemele(vezi cazul offshore-urilor).la cate probleme sunt in SUA acum nu cred ca totusi se vor interzice jocurile online(mai ales ca bush e fan poker,si ptr un 'geniu' ca el asta poate prima in fata altor interese).

[sever]

da, Bush a jucat poker

[FlopMaster]

da, Bush a jucat poker

dar nu online

[sever]

As we are sure you are all aware, the U.S. Congress recently passed new legislation that may eventually have a significant impact on the online poker industry.

While the intent of this new legislation is to eventually prevent the transfer of funds from U.S. banks to online gaming sites, we assure you that there will be no short-term impact on our business. In fact, unlike many of our competitors, we have no intention of abandoning our U.S. customers. We plan to continue our normal operations while the regulators, the banking industry and, very likely, the judicial system hammer out all of the details regarding this legislation.

Most importantly, we want you to know that all monies entrusted to Full Tilt Poker from our customers remain completely safe and secure, and that all players and affiliates will be able to transfer funds to and from Full Tilt Poker as usual, using all of our normal payment processors. In short, while the long-term outlook for the industry is likely to change in some fashion, Full Tilt Poker will continue to provide its players and affiliates with the best online poker experience in the world.

[danielu26]

...pareri?

Daily Mail,04 octombrie 2006 traducerea e mai dintr-o bucata si nu e tot articolul:,,bancherii incep sa puna interdictii pe pariurile online,urmare a deciziei congresului american de a ilegaliza aceste tipuri de pariuri.Valoarea companiei PartyGaming a scazut la bursa de la 7 miliarde la 1.63 miliarde.....bursa a cazut pentru Party cu 4,5p;Sportingbet a pierdut 5p si L&G a pierdut 2.5 ajungind la numai 7.5p......America se pare ca detine jumatate din aceasta piata cu 60 miliarde de dolari anual...Inchizind piata americana inseamna mai putin jucatori in camerele de poker printre marii perzanti numarindu-se PartiGaming si Sportingbet......<<.........si tot asa pe vreo 2 coloane la rubrica financiara,,,luna trecuta directorul de la 888 a demisionat din motive personale,zice el,banii se cam duc....ce credeti?putem sa ne trezim intr-o dimineata si sa vrem sa jucam un pokeras si sa avem surpriza ca siteul sa nu mai fie acolo,cu tot cu bankrollul nostru? pareri??