Online Casino News and Information

The saga continues between the US and Antigua. Yet again the US put it off. The new date of OCT. 1st has been set for an agreement on the online gambling dispute.

Mark Mendel, the Attorney for Antigua, at the WTO, had an interview with the Antigua Sun, and stated that he hoped they could achieve a resolution, but did not predict any possible results on the matter. He just stated that both parties were attempting to work things out.

Mendel also said that Antigua is still holing all the cards, and he is ready for anything.

Antigua is challenging the UIGEA Act of 2006, in which prohibited the transfer of funds from financial institutions in the US. Antigua claims the act is in violation of the WTO.

So now the US is trying to shirk those obligations.

We will wait and see if any agreement will be reached Oct 1st. In my opinion that is very doubtful, but we will see.

Could this be a start to a new beginning for the online gambling Industry?

A Republican from Texas Pete Sessions, a US Congressman has introduced Bill HR 6663. This bill hopes to clarify the UIGEA as to what is legal and not legal in the US. This Bill may allow companies that willfully left the US market to re-enter the US market.

Currently the UIGEA says that banks must stop allowing transactions to illegal gambling sites, but does not define what is illegal, thus making it impossible for banks to implement the law.

With this new Bill Sessions attempts to to clarify this by defining illegal gambling to only relate to sports betting.

Below outlines the purpose of this Bill:

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:

(1) Prior to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘UIGEA’), Public Law 109-347, on October 13, 2006, Federal law was both vague and outdated regarding Internet gambling activities, as Federal criminal gambling statutes were passed decades before the commercial use of the Internet.

(2) To date, all Federal Internet gambling prosecutions have involved sports betting, creating a lack of authoritative court decisions on the applicability of other federal criminal statutes to Internet poker and casino-style gambling.

(3) Sports betting, which is illegal in 49 of the 50 States, is viewed as particularly harmful because its potential adverse impact on the integrity of professional and amateur sports, and is the one form of gambling where there is settled Federal case law clarifying it as illegal on the Internet.

(4) Many European Internet gambling companies offering services not including sports betting to persons in the United States were fully listed on the London Stock Exchange, and thereby subject to high standards of transparency and scrutiny, but upon receiving clarification of United States law regarding Internet gaming through the enactment of the UIGEA, these companies closed their sites to persons in the United States.

(5) Continued legal jeopardy for companies that made a good faith effort to comply voluntarily with clarified United States law following the passage of the UIGEA punishes behavior that the law intended to foster and inadvertently rewards continued noncompliance by other foreign entities.

(6) In light of the foregoing and in deference to long-standing constitutional requirements of fair notice and transparency in the criminal law, the Congress finds it necessary to clarify that criminal statutes applicable to gambling do not apply to any person who offered Internet gambling services that did not include sports betting prior to October 13, 2006, and who ceased offering Internet gambling services to persons in the United States upon passage of the UIGEA.

(7) To effect the purposes and intent of the UIGEA, it is the sense of the Congress that the Attorney General should focus any prosecutorial efforts on those persons who–

(A) offer Internet sports betting in the United States; or

(B) process payments for illegal Internet sports betting in the United States.

The Bill is a non-partisan one, because Sessions is a Republican and is supported by Jesse Jackson Jr, Marion Berry and Bill Delahunt, who are Democrats.

We shall see how this Bill does, could it end with a tie vote also? We shall see!!

Four Republican Congressman sent a written letter to the Federal Reserve Board and the US Treasury Calling for more clarity on what the laws really are in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Here is the body of that letter:

Dear Secretary Paulson and Chairman Bernanke,

We are writing to request that you bring clarity to the Federal Reserve Board’s (Board) and U.S. Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) proposed regulations to implement the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

As proposed, these regulations do not provide clear guidance to the public, in particular those that engage in online skill games, or regulated industries regarding what constitutes “unlawful internet gambling.” We believe that implementing such vague law and regulations, while holding the public and regulated industries liable for noncompliance, is an abdication of the federal government’s responsibility to both the public and unregulated industries. In addition, vague UIGEA law and regulations could be unnecessarily burdensome and costly to the public and particularly small businesses.

Therefore, we urge the Board and Treasury to, before finalizing UIGEA regulations, clarify the specific activity that constitutes “unlawful internet gambling,” providing guidance to both the public and the regulated industries that are tasked with blocking financial transactions related to “unlawful internet gambling.” It is our understanding that the UIGEA intended to uphold state and federal laws regarding “unlawful internet gambling” that existed prior to UIGEA’s date of enactment. Nevertheless, we encourage the Board and Treasury to confirm our understanding in its UIGEA regulations. To accomplish this, we request that you take the following actions.

First, transition the current rulemaking process to a formal rulemaking process involving an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) or a similar official who can provide legal advice. This official should examine the various federal and state laws and determine precisely what constitutes “unlawful internet gambling” as well as which financial institutions a regulated industry is required to block under UIGEA law and regulations.

Second, we request that undertake Regulatory Flexibility Analysis to clearly evaluate the regulatory burden that would be imposed on businesses of all sizes but especially small businesses.

Simply put, we believe that it is possible that if UIGEA law and regulations are implemented with the vague language we described above, a judge may be eventually required to answer the question of “what is unlawful internet gambling.” It makes fiscal sense to resolve this question before saddling the public, regulated industries, small businesses, and courts with uncertain UIGEA law and regulation.

We voted for UIGEA and support it now. As such, we have resisted legislative efforts which may have the effect of delaying interminably the implementation of UIGEA and its regulations. However, we are concerned about the legal and operational viability of a rule that leaves so much to interpretation and, accordingly, urge the Board and Treasury to take a more deliberative path to a workable rule as we have outlined in this letter.

Thank you for your consideration of our request. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Judy Biggert
Jim Gerlach
Christopher Shays
Kevin McCarthy

Does this tell the Industry who to vote for? It sure tells me who, We the People, that don’t want our freedom taken away, who to let know how we feel about the whole UIGEA Bill!!

What next? First Neteller now PayPal. What do we expect form the US Government? They are taking more and more of our rights to privacy away. And they will continue to do so, till the American people stand up and fight!!!

This is an email PayPal are sending out to their customers:

Dear ()

PayPal has received a summons from the United States Internal Revenue Service requiring us to produce various records, including data related to your PayPal account. PayPal understands the summons relates to the IRS’ offshore compliance program in which the IRS has sought information about offshore credit card accounts from a number of companies.

Your Privacy is extremely important to PayPal. PayPal is obligated, however, to turn over the requested data. PayPal has been ordered by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to provide the information to the IRS, and PayPal expects to begin providing this information to the IRS on January 10, 2008. The United States District Court in an action is entitled: In the Matters of the Tax Liabilities of John does, Case No. CV-05-04176-JW.

If you have any concerns about the disclosure of this information, you should consult with your tax or legal advisor. You may have rights in connection with the summons, including the right to seek to prevent the IRS from obtaining some or all of the information. The statute of limitations that limits the time in which the IRS may assert tax liabilities against you may be suspended beginning on the date which s six months after the IRS served the summons upon PayPal and continuing until PayPal finally resolves its response to the IRS. See 26 U.S.C.

PayPal cannot provide you with legal advice. If you have questions concerning the summons and court order, we encourage you to contact the IRS, your tax advisor and or your attorney.

If you wish to contact the Internal Revenue Service regarding this matter, they can be reached at (215) 516-4777.

Thank You,
The PayPal Legal Team

You can read all this and more about it:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/paypal.asp

One of the most respected sites on the web, www.GamesandCasino.com is proud to announce the sponsorship to Online Players Union. Their goal is to make you online experience the safest and best it can be!!

This is a Press Release:

Ending a year of speculation on various online message boards, one of the oldest and most extensive online gambling information sites, GamesAndCasino.com, has announced it’s sponsorship of the OnlinePlayersUnion.com/forum/.
 
The CEO of GamesandCasino.com, Dominique, said: “We decided that Gamesandcasino needed to provide a place for players to exchange experiences and help each other with their game play.  We have taken a long look at the OnlinePlayersUnion.com, and found the name to express exactly what we wanted to create.” Dominique further commented: “So many online portals forget about the most important people, their visitors. At GamesandCasino, we have always put the players first, and it’s about time we provided a platform for players to exchange their experiences.”
 
The Online Players Union provides discussion areas for strategies for all sorts of games, from casino games to skill games, bingo, poker and fantasy sports. So whether you like chess or slots, texas holdem or exotic bingo patterns, the Union is the place to exchange strategies, experiences and ideas.
 
GamesandCasino also upgraded the Union to include social networking software, so in addition to using the forums one can form private groups that concentrate on particular favorite games, set up blogs and all sorts of fun things.
 
For additional information please contact Dominique or visit www.OnlinePlayersUnion.com/forum
 
About GamesAndCasino:   
 
GamesandCasino recently celebrated it’s “Lucky 7s anniversary”, having been online for 7 years and 7 months. It has been a Mecca for game players of all descriptions for many years, providing all possible information about every type of game. Soon to come is an extensive section with strategies for dozens of skill games. It will include many card games, such as spades and rummy, board games like backgammon and checkers and arcade games such as tetris and bejeweled. A comprehensive section on Las Vegas is also in the works.
 
About the OnlinePlayersUnion:
 
The Online Players Union was previously involved in much contoversy, notably for the membership of “cipher”, whose blackjack strategies and business dealings caused much uproar online on message boards with related topics. The Union was also embattled with several other message boards. With a new face and focus, and the full support of GamesandCasino, the OnlinePlayersUnion is off to a new start and bright future.
 
Contact:
 
Dominique, CEO
dominique@thegoodluckcharm.com
http://www.GamesandCasino.com
http://www.OnlinePlayersUnion.com/forum/

We want to Thank GamesandCasino, for thinking of the PLAYERS first and foremost!! They care about the players and do their best to keep everything up to date and easy and informative for the players!

This is a press release from eCOGRA today from Brussels. eCOGRA continues to bring higher responsible gaming standards of protection for all players.

Brussels, 15 July 2008 - The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) today launches a comprehensive set of standards that covers all aspects of player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator behaviour in the online gaming and betting environment. These standards complement stringent legal requirements already imposed by EU licensing jurisdictions.

Over 170 technical requirements have been adopted on a voluntary basis to take into account all aspects of online gaming and betting associated services.  As part of their membership criteria, EGBA members are required to comply with all standards. Compliance is verified by a compulsory annual audit carried out by eCOGRA, a leading standards and player protection body, which itself is annually subjected to a comprehensive quality assurance review by one of the world’s leading firms of auditors.

This initiative builds upon EGBA’s (then EBA) code of conduct, which was already adopted in 2003 and follows other industry initiatives. Self-regulation is vital in the online gaming and betting industry in order to continuously take stock of this fast developing eCommerce sector and stay ahead of slower legal developments. It also ensures, given the cross border nature of the sector, consistency of standards across Europe to guarantee consumers can play in a safe, secure and reliable environment.

EGBA Chairman, Norbert Teufelberger said: “These standards are a sign of our commitment to an exemplary level of corporate and social responsibility. They could serve as a basis for reflection at a time when governments and regulators across Europe are trying to find ways to best protect consumers in the online gaming and betting environment.”

 These responsible gaming and betting standards include measures such as:

Promoting responsible gaming, preventing underage gaming and problem gaming;
A zero tolerance approach to fraud or criminal behaviour;
Protecting customers’ privacy and safeguarding their information;
Ensuring prompt and accurate customer payments;
Assessing rigorously and independently the fairness of games;
Committing to responsible and ethical marketing practice.

eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge added: “Our goal is to ensure that EGBA has a meaningful professional review process for determining each member’s compliance with agreed and consistently applied standards, which consumers and regulators have come to expect in the online gaming and betting industry.”

When you see the eCOGRA seal on a site, you know you are safe and well protected. They continuously monitor for consistent high standards.

After the setback to repeal the UIGEA billed failed by a tie vote, in the House Financial Services, Casino City had an interview with Congressman Wexler and PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato. In the interview they discussed the situation and what to do next.

Here are parts of their conversation:
H.R. 5767 and the King amendment failed in committee. What’s the status of legislative efforts to repeal the UIGEA, and what happens next?

Wexler: The (32-32) vote is the strongest support any Congress has shown for an online gambling measure. It shows that awareness of the absurdity of the status quo has never been greater. I’m confident, in the short term, we’ll be able to do something. Declaring poker a skill game and getting a regulated environment are more long-term goals.

D’Amato: Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-Alabama) twisted the arms of five to six members who had indicated support for the (King) amendment and the need for clarity of what illegal gambling was. There’s a good chance we’re going to re-introduce the measure before Congress goes into recess.

When you sit down with people, what obstacles are you running into?

D’Amato: One Congressman from New York told me that the NFL is pushing hard to keep the UIGEA in place. They want to make sure that sports betting does not spread on the Internet. That’s fine. But not for poker.

The UIGEA allows for states to run online casinos and poker rooms if they restrict play to residents of that state. Recently, Native American tribes in California have been actively opposing attempts to form online poker rooms in order to protect their revenue streams. What do you think of those attempts?

Wexler: I support the right of all Americans to play online when and where they want. This isn’t about special interest groups or lobbyists. This is about the right to play poker.

D’Amato: Congressman Wexler is being very brave here. He’s fighting for the rights of individual Americans. Poker has been played in the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate and the House. It’s a game of skill and the government should get off the backs of regular Americans and the let them play wherever they want.

We all need to get behind our Congressmen and stand behind what we believe is our rights!! Don’t just sit home and complain, when we can all do something!!

On Tuesday, June 25, 2008, an amendment to UIGEA bill to make the U.S. Dept of Treasury and the Federal Reserve System develop new regulations that are less burdensome to the U.S. financial services companies was defeated by a tie vote. This amendment would have forced federal regulators to create formal rulemaking regulations to define unlawful internet gambling activities, and to create a list of unlawful internet gambling businesses. It would also have forced an economic impact study of the costs to enforce compliance.

Key Congressional Committee Reaches Stalemate on New Regulations to Enforce Internet Gambling Ban

Republicans Said ‘No’ to Amendment Helping Credit Unions, Banks

An amendment to develop new regulations to enforce the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) was defeated today in a tie vote in the House Committee on Financial Services. The amendment to the Payments System Protection Act, H.R. 5767, offered by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), would have required the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve System, in consultation with the Attorney General, to develop new regulations to implement UIGEA that are less burdensome for U.S. financial services companies.

“It is disappointing that the Republicans would turn their back on the credit unions and banks at a time when the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve says the proposed rules to enforce UIGEA are unworkable,” said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. “Given the freedom of the Internet, it is foolhardy to impose the current regulations and force U.S. financial service companies to police for illegal activity. Rather than prohibit an activity millions of Americans enjoy to do in their homes, just as they can do in a casino, Congress should create a regulatory framework for Internet gambling as a way to protect consumers and collect billions in much-needed federal revenue that is currently lost in an underground, uncontrolled marketplace.”

The King amendment responded to concerns raised by U.S. financial services companies about the burden and ambiguity in the proposed rules to implement UIGEA. The updated bill would have required federal regulators to adopt formal rulemaking processes to define unlawful Internet gambling activities, to create a list of unlawful Internet gambling businesses, and to conduct an economic impact study on the costs for compliance. The bill would have also forced the agencies to take into consideration the Paperwork Reduction Act and Regulatory Flexibility Act, current laws the proposed rules to enforce UIGEA failed to address.

Rep. Frank stated before the Committee on Financial Services that Congress is putting the U.S. financial services industry at risk by not clarifying the regulations to enforce UIGEA and defining unlawful Internet gambling activities. “Hijacking the financial payment system at a time when it is under major stress and giving them the job of carrying out an unclear mandate doesn’t make sense.”

Representatives of the U.S. financial services industry, including the Chamber of Commerce, The Financial Services Roundtable, Credit Union National Association, and National Association of Federal Credit Unions, pledged their support for the Payments System Protection Act and King amendment in letters to Rep. Frank and members of the Committee on Financial Services.

“I wish to be clear that we do not support the notion that financial services companies should be ‘deputized’ to police gambling activity in any form or function,” wrote Mr. Steve Barlett, president and CEO of The Financial Services Roundtable. “While we would support the passage of H.R. 5767 as introduced, I agree that the King Amendment makes essential improvements to a deeply flawed law and therefore support its inclusion.”

Concerns about the impact of UIGEA were also raised by the Americans for Tax Reform (ATF) and Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) in a letter to members of the Committee on Financial Services, which said that “if implemented as proposed in current regulations, UIGEA would have a number of serious, negative consequences for the nation’s economy.”

Concerns about the proposed rules to implement UIGEA were previously raised at a congressional hearing on April 2, 2008 (”Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?”) and in hundreds of comments submitted to the Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve System. Representatives of the Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve System acknowledged at the hearing the challenges U.S. financial institutions will face in attempting to comply with UIGEA.

Last year, Rep. Frank introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046) that would establish a regulatory and enforcement framework for licensed gambling operators to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the U.S. It includes a number of built-in consumer protections, including safeguards against compulsive and underage gambling, money laundering, fraud and identity theft. States would also have the right to control what, if any, level of Internet gambling is permissible within their borders and could apply additional taxes and restrictions.

A companion piece of legislation to the Frank bill introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2008 (H.R. 5523), would ensure the collection of taxes on regulated Internet gambling activities. According to a tax revenue analysis prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, taxation of regulated Internet gambling is expected to generate between $8.7 billion to $42.8 billion in federal revenues over its first 10 years.

The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative encourages you to contact your Representative now to thank them or ask for their support for regulated Internet gambling. Visit www.safeandsecureig.org and take action today.

Good news? Not sure yet. We will keep you informed as things develop!! To me this is ONE for the Industry!!! I do not think the banks will bend from thier last statement that they would not police thier customers.

This could be very good news for the online Gambling Industry!! Soon hopefully we will know what will happen.

(Washington, D.C. - June 20, 2008) - On June 24, 2008, the House Committee on Financial Services will mark up legislation, H.R. 5767, that would prohibit the Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve System from proposing, prescribing or implementing any regulations related to the current ban on Internet gambling, as required by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA).

“Congress has studied this issue and heard from the financial services community and federal regulators that the current ban on Internet gambling is burdensome and doomed to fail. Now it is time for Congress to change course and find a way to protect the millions of Americans that are continuing to gamble online,” said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.

H.R. 5767 was introduced by Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas) on April 11, 2008. The introduction followed a hearing entitled, “Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?” in the House Committee on Financial Service’s Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology. Reps. Frank and Paul stated in their press release accompanying the introduction of H.R. 5767, “it was clear at the hearing that the regulations are unworkable for the financial services industry, and this bill would, therefore prohibit their implementation”.

Representatives of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Federal Reserve System acknowledged at the hearing the challenges U.S. financial institutions will face in attempting to comply with UIGEA. Testimony was also heard from representatives from the Credit Union National Association, Financial Services Roundtable, American Bankers Association and Wells Fargo & Co., who spoke about the unnecessary burden they would face given the ambiguity of UIGEA and the potential confusion with the chance of multiple interpretations of what may or may not be illegal activities.

Last year, Rep. Frank introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046) that would regulate Internet gambling. The bill requires Internet gambling operators licensed by FinCEN to put in place safeguards to protect against underage and compulsive gambling and ensure the integrity of financial transactions at the same time reinforcing the rights of States to control what, if any, level of Internet gambling is permissible within their borders.

A companion piece of legislation to the Frank bill introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2008 (H.R. 5523), would ensure the collection of taxes on regulated Internet gambling activities. According to a tax revenue analysis prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, taxation of regulated Internet gambling is expected to generate between $8.7 billion to $42.8 billion in federal revenues over its first 10 years.

About Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative
The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative promotes the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. For more information on the Initiative, please visit www.safeandsecureig.org.  The Web site provides a means by which individuals can register support for regulated Internet gambling with their elected representatives.

Make sure you sign up and register and show your support, to get out freedom back to gamble online!!!

The saga continues between the US and Antigua. For such a small island they have shown a lot of guts and determination in this battle.

Antigua’s top finance official, said that a new deadline date of Friday, June 20th has been set to settle their dispute with Washington and St. John over internet gambling. It was set to be settled on June 6th, but was not.

They (Antigua) say the US has crippled its gambling industry by banning Americans from making online bets with their gambling operators, which includes the ones based in their twin-island of only 70,000 people.

Without disclosing any specifics, Finance Minister Errol Cort, said that sit down talks with US trade representatives could achieve a new resolution by June 20th. He thinks by giving more time they can see if they can meet an amicable resolution.

The law (UIGEA) was passed by the US Congress in 2006 that barred banks and credit card companies from processing payments to online gambling companies outside the US. This law blocked Antigua’s access to US gambling market, which was the most lucrative in the world.

US Trade Representative Sean M. Spicer said they are trying in good faith to settle this dispute.  Antigua has sought $3.4 Billion. The WTO backed Antigua’s request to target US services such as copyrights and trademarks in retaliation for the US betting ban, but ruled it could only impose $21 Million.

We shall see what happens on Friday!! Stay tuned in this continuing saga, with this little country..that is not afraid to stand up and be noticed!!