UIGEA and RAWA news and analysis

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 USA;
  • 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.

New Jersey Politician Seeks to Avoid Federal Online Gaming Ban

This week New Jersey Assemblyman Vincet Mazzeo introduced a resolution into the New Jersey Assembly that would urge newly minted US President Donald Trump and the US Congress to avoid banning online gambling at a federal level in order to protect his state's thriving online betting business.

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Online Gaming Regulation Bill Introduced in Massachusetts

For the third time in his career, Massachusetts state Senator Bruce Tarr is attempting to legalize and regulate online gambling in his home state by introducing a bill that would do just that.

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Pennsylvania On Track to Pass Online Gaming in Next Two Months

This week a Pennsylvania state senator revealed that he believes online gaming legislation will be approved by both the House and Senate within the next three months.

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Pennsylvania On Track to Pass Online Gaming in Next Two Months

This week a Pennsylvania state senator revealed that he believes online gaming legislation will be approved by both the House and Senate within the next three months.

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New Jersey Files Sportsbetting Appeal with Supreme Court

This week the state of New Jersey filed an appeal with the US Supreme Court, where it is seeking to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, as it seeks to legalize sportsbetting services within its borders.

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New Jersey Files Sportsbetting Appeal with Supreme Court

This week the state of New Jersey filed an appeal with the US Supreme Court, where it is seeking to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, as it seeks to legalize sportsbetting services within its borders.

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US Judge Decides Against Tribal Online Betting

This week US District Judge Anthony Battaglia ruled that tribal online betting group Santa Ysabel Interactive must stop offering its online betting products and stop accepting deposits from those outside of its reservation.

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13 Mafia Members Arrested in Online Gambling Charges

This week 13 people associated with the mob have been arrested with running an illegal online sportsbetting that was based out of Costa Rica.

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Former PokerStars Executive Sentenced in US

A former PokerStars executive who processed payments for players has been sentenced for his role in disguising payments for American players, bringing the number of sentenced defendants to 10 in the Black Friday poker cases.

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Former PokerStars Executive Sentenced in US

A former PokerStars executive who processed payments for players has been sentenced for his role in disguising payments for American players, bringing the number of sentenced defendants to 10 in the Black Friday poker cases.

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