Online Community Protests

From June 1st the UIGEA is due to be enforced across America, as the date nears the online poker community are planning a protest to try and make their voices heard

There is a high chance that the first of June will become known in online poker history as the day when the masses who play online came together in protest against the Unlawful Internet Gambling enforcement Act of 2006, otherwise known as UIGEA.

The deadline for the enforcement of this act was extended until June 1st 2010 despite the efforts of US Congressman Barney Frank to delay the implementation until 1st December of this year. As next month comes closer thousands of online poker players have been meeting in forums to discuss ways to protest against UIGEA’s implementation.

Online poker has become incredibly popular with poker lovers across the world, with a significant number of players from America. However, the implementation of this Act will make it much harder for them to play online, unless they possess the expertise to play online without being discovered.

Unsurprisingly the planned protests will also be taking place online, as this is the only context where American players will not be allowed to play. On June 1st a large majority of online poker players will be playing in some of the most popular online poker rooms at the very same time that the UIGEA is due to come into effect.

Only time will tell whether this protest will have any effect, however, it will make it clear to authorities that the online community will not just sit back and accept the UIGEA.

The Act bans any gambling website from taking payment through credit card transactions, wire or fund transfer as stated by Federal Laws which are covered in the UIGEA.

However, it is still not one hundred percent clear what exactly counts as internet gambling as there are some states which have their own laws in relation to online betting. If the UIGEA is to be properly enforced there needs to be careful examination of the jurisdiction of the Act in regards to these states which already have their own laws regarding online gambling.

The UIGEA will not only effect players who are trying to get into games online, it will also effect a large number of financial institutions as they will be banned from performing any kind of transactions with their clients.

However, most of the banks in the US have said that they are willing to cooperate with the Act and help enforce it. Although they did also point out that tracking every single financial exchange made through them is close to impossible to do.

As the planned protest approaches the entirety of the online gambling community, in both poker and other areas, are waiting excitedly to see if it will indeed have any effect.