In September 2006, the United States House of Representatives and Senate passed legislation that would make it illegal for financial institutions to conduct monetary transactions with online gambling sites. This legislation, termed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), was "tacked on" in the final hours (shortly before adjourning for the midterm elections) as an amendment to the unrelated and virtually unstoppable SAFE Port Act, which was intended to improve the security of American ports. The Act was signed into law by then U.S. President Bush on October 13, 2006. The specific UIGEA part of the Act can be read here.
Several large online gambling operators including 888.com, Party Gaming and Bwin immediately stopped accepting bets from U.S. customers, and saw their stock prices tumble accordingly. However, many other operators have continued to accept customers from the United States despite the legal uncertainty this law has created.
Curiously, no part of the UIGEA defines what exactly "unlawful Internet gambling" is and no part of the Act prohibits anyone from gambling online. A couple of years of hindsight has revealed the effects of this legislation to be:
- A minor inconvenience for U.S. players who would like to play poker or casino games online
- A flourishing industry of smaller, less visible, and largely unregulated operators happy to accept customers from the U.S.
- Most of the largest, most professional, and well regulated operators unwilling or unable to accept U.S. customers
- Billions of potential tax revenue lost by State and Federal U.S. governments
Below you can find an archive of all UIGEA related news articles we have posted to the site.
Jun 25, 2012 by CasinoListings
The United States' Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 will be seen in headlines this week as a man who helped run an offshore online sportsbook faces sentencing in Massachusetts. Read more
May 19, 2012 by CasinoListings
Twelve different religious and family groups are writing to Congressional leaders to enact legislation that would stop the "...massive expansion of internet gambling enabled by Attorney General Holder's surprise reinterpretation of the Wire Act." Read more
Mar 29, 2012 by CasinoListings
The guilty plea of a former bank executive indicted in the Black Friday charges hit a snag after a New York judge demanded to know why the federal government was "walking away from the case". Read more
Mar 28, 2012 by CasinoListings
The last remaining defendant in the Black Friday ordeal will plead guilty today after cutting a plea bargain with federal authorities. Read more
Mar 1, 2012 by CasinoListings
Two prominent gambling professionals have issued opinions on internet gambling legislation following the Department of Justice's opinion that online gambling does not violate the Wire Act. Read more
Feb 28, 2012 by CasinoListings
Online gambling magnate and founder of Bodog Calvin Ayre has been indicted by the U.S. government on two charges along with three other Canadians. Read more
Feb 28, 2012 by CasinoListings
A Canadian citizen has plead guilty in Manhattan federal court to conspiracy charges related to the Black Friday indictments filed last year against online poker companies and payment processors. Read more
Feb 28, 2012 by CasinoListings
The United States Department of Homeland Security has seized the .com domain of gambling licensing brand Bodog, even though the company left for a .eu domain some time ago. Read more
Feb 28, 2012 by CasinoListings
Two online poker payment processors indicted in relation to the U.S. Government's Black Friday case have made a fresh motion to show that poker is a game of skill, not an illegal gambling game of chance. Read more
Feb 22, 2012 by CasinoListings
A Utah bill that would ban online gambling throughout the state has moved on to the state Senate on Tuesday after passing through the House with a 61-9 vote. Read more