Don't panic.

I don't think at this current time they can actually say Americans can not play online poker. They can do everything they can to try to not allow it to happen like cut the funding sources, but the rooms themselves are not affected.

They can't regulate the casinos because the casinos are overseas. Their final obtion would be regulating us and I think people would lose it if the US government said "Hey you cant do this or do that online". We steal music and movies that are copyrighted and the government hasn't done much to stop it. There is only so much they can actually do considering the reach the internet has.

Originally Posted by Loz

We steal music and movies that are copyrighted and the government hasn't done much to stop it. There is only so much they can actually do considering the reach the internet has.

Originally Posted by willsparrow

yeah. But then again the collage kids who are hosting like 10,000 of those files downloaded online get cracked down on alot.

Bypassing copyright laws and playing online poker are completely different issues, with a much different focus.

VERY large corporations lose $$$ when people steal music/movies. VERY large companies make VERY large political contributions and so can get their interests looked at. No companies are losing money because of online poker, and so there would be less of a drive to stop it.

Also throw in the fact that it is mostly cut and dry that downloading music/movies is illegal; while playing online poker is not expressly forbidden by federal law.

will, the FBI will not do anything if you make 200K a year playing online poker unless you're evading your taxes while making that kind of dough.

Originally Posted by willsparrow

Well the difference is. they really cant do anything to find and catch you if you download music illegally. plus the cost of taking everyone they caught to court would barley be worth the cost it takes to put you threw a major court. plust 80% of the people wouldn't even be able to pay the fine anyway. they only target people they know they got enough evidence to put them down fast, take the money and get out. Plus its not a automatic guaranteed win if you take em to court for downloading music. its a long process.

Poker on the other hand. would make it alot easier because 1. not as many people play poker as download music so it would be easier to track down. 2. they know the avg joe wont play poker so that leaves all the poker pros who make a nice ammount of money online. 3. Theres a difference when your doing something illegal and making money off it. when you download music you dont make any money or anything off it so its low priority in the eyes of law enforcement cracking down on it. Yes you do cost other people money but in the eyes of the law, they kinda look at it as if your part responcible.

Thats why music companys started to make some sort of cd protection on all there CD's people bought. so they couldn't be downloaded off the CD. because they know that they cant expect much from the goverment because theres nothing really they can do to catch you.

The Wire Act and the Enforcement act do not make it illegal to PLAY poker, only to facilitate the FUNDING of prohibited gambling over telecommunications facilities (i.e. phone, internet, telegraph even). It seems like semantics and in a way it is, but the distinction is definite. This means that banks, eWallets and Site themselves are the only ones liable under current law.

Also note that poker is not expressly forbidden in either Act. The only arrests made have been of gambling sites and ewallet executives who have facilitated sports betting (so it guys like Seany screwing it up for the rest of us ).

Poker only sites likely have little to fear, as the case would be pretty easy for the defense to win, and the Dept of Justice does not want to lose these cases. Sports betting is clearly defined in the Wire act, so this is likely to be the focus of the arrests.