Do you have the urge to shuffle up and deal? Have you ever been curious about online poker? This article will look at the current status and serious concerns regarding online poker for U.S. citizens.

If you are a player in the U.S. the law is somewhat murky as to the legality of online poker. With advertisements and marketing everywhere, it would seem that it is legal to play poker online, Be careful though, if you decide to play, and you win this game of skill, you may never see your money!

In fact, players that won satellite tournaments to the WSOP this year were unable to participate in the event due to the seizing of 30 million dollars by the US Government of online poker site funding. Players who legitimately won seats through satellite tournaments, were unable to fulfill their lifelong dream of playing or winning, the World Series of Poker.

Full Tilt, and Poker Stars, both online poker sites were able to refund this money into the players accounts by loosening up funds, and in some cases depositing bonuses, for their players inconveniences, while battling it out the U. S. Court system. Account Services, a company that facilitates money transfers for these sites, filed a motion that challenged the legality of the seizures, based on legality of the warrants.

The crux of the issue is this. The poker player alliance also known as PPA, which is has more than 1.2 million U. S. players, contends that poker is a game of skill, rather that of gambling. While the PPA is not officially a party to the current legal dispute, this large alliance can pull weight with local politicians as to meriting. and loosing laws for online poker, verses other games such as online casinos, horse betting, or other games of chance. PPA plans to continue to mobilize it's 1.2 million players to change current laws regarding online poker.

As this article is posted, the U. S. government continues to hold onto the seized funds. The Government also issued an indictment for Account services, Douglass Rennick, a Canadian citizen, as of yet he has not surrendered. According to the indictment over $350 million dollars was transferred from a bank account in Cyprus for and Rennick provided false and misleading information to various United States banks about, among other things, the nature of the internet gambling-related payments being processed by the companies under Rennick's control in order to induce banks to engage in financial transactions that they otherwise would not have facilitated.

Until the laws are changed and a responsible and reliable plan is in place, that allows U.S. Citizens to play a game created here in the United States, poker players are gambling their money away, not on poker, but on weather or not the money they skillfully attain, may be abruptly seized by their government.

Learn more about this author, Erica Michaelson.
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