Federal Indictments for Pokerstars and Full Tilt

Something is definitely brewing in the US with regards to regulating and legalizing online poker for US players with the new charges brought against the founding members of three of the largest online poker companies providing services to US players while violating US federal laws.

The new charges are the result of the long-awaited crackdown on poker sites accepting US players and generating money transactions to and from the poker rooms.

The feeling in the US and outside of it is one of confusion as In recent months we have been getting reports from various US states trying to introduce intrastate online poker for the benefit of their residents in an attempt to circumvent the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from 2006 that has stopped all legal online gambling for US players.

The UIGEA has pushed many companies to move their business offshore and continue providing US players with online gaming solutions in defiance of US federal law.

In addition the last few weeks have been filled with reports about joint ventures and mergers between some of the biggest casino resorts operators in the US and international online gambling companies, including Wynn with PokerStars and Full Tilt with Fertitta Interactive.

It seems that there are three major lobbying and interest groups playing a part in the big US online gaming debate; Those in favor of intrastate legislation that will allow each US state to act independently in this matter, those in favor of federal legislation that will repeal the UGIEA and reopen the whole US market for online gaming, and finally those who demand the authorities uphold the law and require them to prosecute under the current laws even if they are rumored to be due for amendments.