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Monday 16th October 2006 President Bush Signs Unlawful Internet Gambling Act into Law
On September 30, 2006 the US Senate passed the 'Safe Port Act' which also contains a section referred to as the 'Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.' Hopes were high in the poker industry that President Bush would not sign the Act into the law of the land; alas he did exactly that on the fateful Friday October 13.
'We're going to protect our ports. We're going to defend this homeland, and we're going to win this war on terror,' President Bush said. He continued to discuss the port security elements of the bill whilst signing the documents, but made no mention of the online gambling elements the bill also holds.
The new act primarily affects online payment transactions for games of chance, which have been deemed unlawful under US law, and aims to prevent these by threatening severe punishment, court sanctions and regulatory action.
A number of websites, including 888.com, said they will stop allowing real-money US players to play on its sites after Bush signed the bill. Amongst the other sites who have declared that they will still do business with Americans despite the recent move include PokerStars, Absolute Poker, Bodog, and Full Tilt.
Source: OnlineCasinoNews
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POKER NEWS >> President Bush Signs Unlawful Internet Gambling Act into Law
