I agree with you. Pro sports are equally worthless.

9/30/2006 10:44:53 PM

As long as your opinion of it isn't hypocritical and you feel the same way about sports, I'm not going to argue because you're entitled to your opinion.

9/30/2006 10:46:10 PM

Thx. He better win while it's still allowed.

9/30/2006 10:58:52 PM

Quote :

"are you sure this bill is banning poker websites and not sports betting sites. Party Poker and all those sites specifically say on their ads that "this is not a gambling website". I thought this bill was aimed at stopping placing bets on games and such but i may have misunderstood"

No, the sites they advertise are free sites, not gambling websites. If you notice they say PartyPoker.net or FullTilt.net Not ".com" Its a little loop hole the use to advertise their company and everyone knows that they are really advertising the ".com" site that is the actual gambling site.

9/30/2006 11:00:57 PM

Quote :

" The new measure tackles that by prohibiting gamblers from using credit cards, checks and electronic fund transfers to settle their online wagers. "

who cares, most of this happens anyway. Sites like Firepay and Neteller are used for legit things anyway, so I really don't see them not being able to use those. And I seriously doubt that they are or can even force ISP to block certain sites. Hell, they don't even do that with the kiddie porn sites.

[Edited on September 30, 2006 at 11:04 PM. Reason : .]

9/30/2006 11:01:18 PM

Quote :

"I was waiting for someone to come forward with a story like this. That's not a career, it's profiting off of stupid people while sitting on your ass."

The same could be said for tons of other jobs e.g. tech support.

9/30/2006 11:17:22 PM

Quote :

"who cares, most of this happens anyway. Sites like Firepay and Neteller are used for legit things anyway, so I really don't see them not being able to use those. And I seriously doubt that they are or can even force ISP to block certain sites. Hell, they don't even do that with the kiddie porn sites. "

So far it happens like this because they don't stop them. Did you miss where BetonUS's CEO was just jailed for violation of the Wire Act? Partypoker's shares plummeted on that news. If they start enforcing the Wire Act (by updating to make it much easier to do so) sites will stop allowing you to use them in order to prevent being jailed. The trick is for every one of the workers and managers of those sites to stay the fuck out of the U.S.

9/30/2006 11:25:02 PM

They pretty much do, so its not really a problem. I honestly don't see this passing, its already failed 3 times in the past.

9/30/2006 11:32:53 PM

i use wachovia to directly deposit onto party. It's called an electronic check, and I've yet to have any problems with it.

10/1/2006 12:37:42 AM

Quote :

"The same could be said for tons of other jobs e.g. tech support."

No, that's providing an optional service for dumb people.

10/1/2006 12:55:15 AM

I could have sworn online gambling already was illegal.

10/1/2006 11:29:33 AM

Quote :

"No, that's providing an optional service for dumb people."

No one forces them to go online and call an all in with 3 outs.

10/1/2006 11:32:45 AM

I'll laugh when this is made illegal.

10/1/2006 12:01:10 PM

Quote :

"That's not a career, it's profiting off of stupid people while sitting on your ass. "

do you guys sense the jealously here??

10/1/2006 2:20:31 PM

so when is the soonest we could see effects of this?

10/1/2006 2:52:04 PM

bout' time

10/1/2006 3:52:51 PM

^^Well it has to pass first, it just doesn't get made into law, it has to be voted on, and its already been shot down 3 times before.

10/1/2006 5:15:08 PM

Quote :

"do you guys sense the jealously here??"

No. It's morally wrong.

10/1/2006 8:30:24 PM

wtf is "morally wrong"

aren't u missing sunday night services?

10/1/2006 8:43:45 PM

Morals are not exclusive to Christianity.

10/1/2006 8:56:21 PM

sort of surprised that no one is talking about the fact that this bill got passed by the senate and only needs to be signed by the president to become law now. Pretty upsetting from a personal liberties front if you ask me.

10/2/2006 12:11:39 AM

Who didn't see this coming? They wanted to eliminate the competition for their lottery. Legislate away the competition if you will.

10/2/2006 7:12:49 AM

hint: a lot of things on the internet are illegal. they're still there.

10/2/2006 8:00:29 AM

much different scale, that logic doesnt apply.

10/2/2006 8:17:44 AM

Quote :

"Who didn't see this coming? They wanted to eliminate the competition for their lottery. Legislate away the competition if you will."

Are you really that dumb?

10/2/2006 9:15:08 AM

^Yeah, I was completely serious

10/2/2006 9:47:15 AM

The thing is, no senator or congressman is going to come out and oppose this to appeal to the small portion of the population that are online-poker players at the risk of alienating himself and becoming the "poker politician". Even if they disagree, its not worth it to them.

10/2/2006 10:18:19 AM

check out party poker's stock peformace.



a nice 56% hit today.

bonk.

10/2/2006 11:53:22 AM

^damn, you think b/c of what's going on with the legislation?

10/2/2006 1:37:18 PM

ouch

10/2/2006 1:37:54 PM

yes, for sure.

party has publically stated that if the bil is signed into law as expected, they will indefinatley suspend every real money account that is registered from a US customer.

this comprises over 70% of their player base.

That's huge.

10/2/2006 1:43:31 PM

are you sure it didn't split?

10/2/2006 1:57:43 PM

Nah, I just saw it on cnn along with 2 other companies, 888 or something like that.

10/2/2006 2:02:39 PM

I will laugh hardily when this happens.

10/2/2006 2:03:02 PM

Why?

10/2/2006 2:05:13 PM

yeah 888 shut down the US operation.

10/2/2006 2:06:07 PM

^^^^^ definitely did not split.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061002/britain_internet_gambling.html?.v=10

10/2/2006 2:08:43 PM

Quote :

"yeah 888 shut down the US operation."

888 (casino on net) is a fucking huge book in the UK.

they got relatively little us play, so its strange to me as to why they are taking such a stock hit in their market.

10/2/2006 2:23:30 PM

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_news/news_story/1424?class=PokerNews

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_news/news_story/1428?class=PokerNews

it was passed by congress

10/2/2006 3:03:03 PM

This is god damn bullshit.

^

Quote :

"It took a backdoor move by the Senate Majority leader, but the bill designed to curb online gambling in the United States has passed. Sen. Bill Frist helped get the Internet gambling ban attached to a defense bill designed to boost security at nation’s ports. The bill passed Saturday. "

Fucking sneaky bastards.

I don't see how this really changes anything. Is it going to be illegal to use Neteller? If not, then it seems even with the passing of this law, things really won't change as long as the poker sites keep our accounts active.

[Edited on October 2, 2006 at 3:06 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on October 2, 2006 at 3:07 PM. Reason : .]

10/2/2006 3:05:17 PM

neteller and other ewallets are still considered financial institutions.

as far as i can tell, any financial institution or service that provides gaming transactions for united states constituents will be held liable.

Neteller is expecting bad things, and have been named specifically.

10/2/2006 3:18:43 PM

Quote :

"However, the government cannot stop its citizens from sending money out of the country for legitimate purposes. For example, if I want to buy a widget offshore, the Constitution protects my right to do so. As long as there is a third party, not involved in gaming, I am permitted to place my money in that receptacle from a U.S. financial institution and then spend it. Once my money goes to NETeller, I can buy a watch, or pay for a trip. Because there are legally allowable things that can be done after sending the money to NETeller, the government cannot tell my bank not to send my money there. Our Constitution protects one's personal right to send money from a U.S. bank or financial institution to a business outside of the United States. The company I mentioned is the popular NETeller. Others will soon appear on the horizon. NETeller happens to be a publicly traded company on the London AIM Exchange with a user base of more than 2.3 million customers. More than 1,700 online merchants accept payments through the NETeller system, and most of those companies are not gaming sites. With corporate headquarters in the Isle of Man, the company processes billions of dollars yearly. Companies like NETeller are not going to pack up and disappear. This legislation merely encourages more of the same. It will be fascinating to watch this issue unfold. If our government tries to stop US financial institutions from sending money to a place like NETeller, this would surely be fodder for a lawsuit. "

10/2/2006 3:19:31 PM

someone post those two articles, work filters.

10/2/2006 3:20:57 PM

Quote :

"Congress Passes Bill to Curb Online Gambling It Was Snuck Through on the Back of Port Security Bill It took a backdoor move by the Senate Majority leader, but the bill designed to curb online gambling in the United States has passed. Sen. Bill Frist helped get the Internet gambling ban attached to a defense bill designed to boost security at nation’s ports. The bill passed Saturday. The bill calls for banks to work with the federal government to stop transactions between customers in the U.S. and offshore gaming companies. The bill makes it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make transactions with online gambling companies. The bill considers online poker a form of gambling. Recently, online poker sites have worked harder to expand its customer base outside the United States, where about 80-percent of online poker players live. The bill would not target players but does call for prison time for people who run online gaming companies. Banks that don’t comply by the bill may also face punishment. A representive from the Independent Community Bankers of America testified to the House that its members will have trouble enforcing the act. The United States is moving in an opposite direction concerning this issue compared to the rest of the world. The United Kingdom recently moved to tax and regulate online gambling sites, and the European Union had made it clear that it considers online gambling a product that should be allowed to be freely traded. "

10/2/2006 3:49:27 PM

Quote :

"What's NOT Included in The New Anti-Gaming Bill A Legal Perspective This weekend, just before congress recessed, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) finally snuck the mildest form of the anti-gaming legislation into an unrelated bill. The Safe Port Act provides $3.4 billion for U.S. port security and attached to that bill is a section making unlawful for banks to send money to Internet gambling sites or their intermediaries. The bill passed both the House and Senate, meaning that it only awaits the president’s signature before becoming law. Do not panic. First and foremost, this bill does not criminalize PLAYING POKER. IN fact, the bill does not speak to the poker player at all. After 10 years, Congress finally passed something relating to online gaming. The bill basically makes it more difficult for players to put their money into an offshore site. However, these sites are not just going to walk away from a 12 billion dollar a year industry. Since the gambling businesses are beyond the hold of U.S. laws, when one funding source is blocked, they will open another. Next, most banks and credit card companies already refuse to send money to offshore sites. Therefore, there are already offshore third-party companies in place that are more than happy to handle our financial transactions. The bill attempts to forbid financial institutions from sending money to intermediaries as well. However, the government cannot stop its citizens from sending money out of the country for legitimate purposes. For example, if I want to buy a widget offshore, the Constitution protects my right to do so. As long as there is a third party, not involved in gaming, I am permitted to place my money in that receptacle from a U.S. financial institution and then spend it. Once my money goes to NETeller, I can buy a watch, or pay for a trip. Because there are legally allowable things that can be done after sending the money to NETeller, the government cannot tell my bank not to send my money there. Our Constitution protects one's personal right to send money from a U.S. bank or financial institution to a business outside of the United States. The company I mentioned is the popular NETeller. Others will soon appear on the horizon. NETeller happens to be a publicly traded company on the London AIM Exchange with a user base of more than 2.3 million customers. More than 1,700 online merchants accept payments through the NETeller system, and most of those companies are not gaming sites. With corporate headquarters in the Isle of Man, the company processes billions of dollars yearly. Companies like NETeller are not going to pack up and disappear. This legislation merely encourages more of the same. It will be fascinating to watch this issue unfold. If our government tries to stop US financial institutions from sending money to a place like NETeller, this would surely be fodder for a lawsuit. The issue will probably be decided from a business perspective. If NETeller makes millions from non-gaming related sources and it would hurt their business if they lost US customers, they may voluntarily stop sending money to offshore sites. On the other hand, if a large portion of their business is online gaming, a lawsuit is in the making if NETeller is blacklisted. The Secretary and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System have 270 days (after the bill is signed by the president) to come up with enforcement policies and procedures. You can be sure that during this period, there will be lawsuits here, while abroad, there will be plans to protect the 6-billion-dollar-a-year industry by circumventing this new law which is applicable only in the US. Our government cannot make laws that apply to offshore companies who are regulated by the government where they are located. I wouldn’t be surprised if the offshore sites come up with programs to put large sums of money into their sites now prior to enforcement of the bill. They could offer interest or other large incentives to keep substantial sums online. The Poker Player’s Alliance president, Michael Blocerek told me this morning that he is “outraged at the way Frist attached the anti-gaming bill to unrelated legislation at the 11th hour.” The Poker Player’s Alliance is a grass roots organization of more than 110,000 members. Bolcerek said: “During the 270 day period, we will continue to fight to exempt poker.” There are many interesting twists and turns in this new legislation which I will analyze for our readers next week after the holidays. "

10/2/2006 3:49:53 PM

thanks

10/2/2006 3:57:38 PM

I still don't see why the sites are blocking US customers? The bill says its not illegal for us to play, it just goes after the way the money is put on there. There will always be ways to get money on there, so why are they blocking US customers? And I seriously doubt that the government is going to make ISPs ban poker sites, I dont think there has ever been a case of the government blocking the entire country from a certain site or sites.

10/2/2006 10:16:09 PM

This is a great letter Full Tilt released.

Quote :

"An Open Letter From Full Tilt Poker Regarding the State of Your Online Poker Experience Posted by Full Tilt Poker As many people are well aware, the United States Congress recently passed legislation that aims to make it illegal for U.S. banks to process transactions related to online gaming. We, like all online poker players, are dismayed and saddened by these potential regulations, and are doing our best to determine what these changes will mean to our customers. We are continuing to study this legislation and, until our investigation is complete, believe it would be wrong to comment on how these new rules will impact the ability for players to transfer funds to and from Full Tilt Poker. In the short term, we assure you that your online experience at Full Tilt Poker will not change. You will still be able to deposit and withdraw money from the site using the same methods and payment processors you have always used, and your money will remain completely safe and secure. We cannot predict how the online poker experience may change in the future, but we do not expect any immediate impact from the legislation, as the banking industry has 270 days to implement new rules after the bill is signed. It is also important to note that, once signed, the new legislation will not criminalize individuals for playing poker online. Instead, the bill will eventually attempt to prevent the transfer of funds to online gaming. As poker is a game of skill rather than pure chance, we hope that it will not be affected by this new bill. Speculation aside, however, we will continue to work closely with organizations like the Poker Player's Alliance to lobby for an exemption for online poker and for your right to play a truly American game from the privacy of your own home and computer. While this last-minute congressional move has undoubtedly caused concern among our players, we want to assure you that Full Tilt Poker is legally regulated and licensed to offer its services to anyone around the world and that your day-to-day experience at the site will remain unchanged in all respects. Full Tilt Poker "

http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-blog/2006/10/an_open_letter_from_full_tilt_poker_regarding_the_state_of_your_online_poker_experience.php

10/2/2006 10:16:50 PM

Quote :

"As poker is a game of skill rather than pure chance"

gimme a break

10/2/2006 10:23:18 PM

i wish they would ban offline poker

and the nfl...

10/2/2006 10:24:43 PM