President Bush Signs Anti-Internet Gambling Bill

On Friday, as expected, President Bush signed the new anti-internet gambling bill, which had recently passed through the Senate and was only waiting for the President's signature to become law.

The bill, which aims to restrict the accessibility of online gambling to US residents, was passed through the Senate attached to the more important Ports Security Bill. Many industry observers have expressed disappointment in this apparent circumnavigation of democracy.

The new law will seek to prevent US banking institutions and credit card companies from completing transaction with online gambling companies, but it does not make online gambling illegal. Many players will continue to play their favorite casino and poker games online by funding and withdrawing from their accounts using 3rd-party payment institutions such as NETeller.

A number of publicly listed online gambling giants have stopped accepting wagers from US residents following the President's signing of the bill. PartyGaming and 888.com are two of the largest online gambling giants which appear to no longer be accepting US players.

The good news is that many respected and trusted online casinos will continue to accept US wagers, ostensibly with the cooperation of online banks like NETeller. Industry analysts estimate around 90% of the online casinos will continue to accept US players.

• 
• 
• Email to a friend
• Print