As we’ve seen more and more poker rooms that formerly proclaimed their defiant intentions to service US customers succumb to cash flow and other pressures it has become obvious some folks got a bad read on the US government. They expected the DOJ to weakly enforce the UIGEA and held out hope that it would be too costly or complex to implement effectively. Now that the DOJ has shown that it’s willing to aggressively pursue the matter some operators have decided that the cost simply does not justify the risk.
Most poker rooms are in bad shape right now. Business may only be down 20% or so but the trend is not favorable. The DOJ hasn’t even pulled out all the stops yet and they’ve inflicted a massive blow to US facing operators. Deposit options have been severely reduced and for some sites withdrawals have become frustrating affairs that have shaken their confidence in the underlying poker room.
I received the following email from Full Tilt Poker this morning.
You should be outraged.
You should be outraged that the U.S. government is infringing on your personal rights and telling you how to use your hard-earned money. You should be outraged by the fact that a minority of legislators passed the UIGEA, which impacts your ability to play the great game of poker on the Internet. They did this by slipping the language into a completely unrelated port security bill that went to the floor just minutes before Congress took its break for the mid-term elections. The bill passed without any Congressional debate or opportunity for you to object.
Although many legal scholars would argue that online poker should not be affected by the UIGEA, we believe the law’s lack of clarity can only harm the game unless an express exemption is granted under the UIGEA. You should be outraged that, in a rush to passage, poker did not receive the objective review it deserves, and did not already get this express exemption while lotteries, horse racing, and fantasy sports were all given free passes. We demand that Congress address this grievous oversight now.
The PPA’s primary goal for 2007 is to get an express exemption for online poker from the UIGEA and we want to ensure that the PPA’s message is heard loud and clear by Capitol Hill. By mobilizing 1 million online poker players to join the PPA they will listen, because a million voices can’t be ignored! Sign up for any PPA membership before Monday, March 5th and we’ll enter you in a PPA Freeroll tournament where you can win one of 18 personalized Full Tilt Poker jerseys like the ones our pros wear.
Step up and make a donation to the PPA before Monday, March 5th and you’ll be eligible for a cash bonus of up to $1,000.
If you’re already a PPA member, you can earn your special, one-time only bonus by upgrading to a higher membership level by Monday, March 5th, as shown above. To join now and receive your bonus, please select your option from the following…
Outrage is good, but outrage without action is useless. Stand up for your rights and help protect the great American game of poker by joining the PPA today.
Sincerely,
Full Tilt Poker
Now, compare that to their official statement on the UIGEA back in Oct.
Dear Tilter,
Full Tilt Poker is here to stay!As an online poker player, you have probably heard about the new legislation passed by the U.S. Congress earlier this week that attempts to prevent you from being able to transfer money to online gaming sites.
While this new law has prompted some sites to announce plans to abandon the U.S. market in coming days, we assure you that Full Tilt Poker will continue to provide all of its players – both inside and outside of the United States – with a full complement of real money ring games and tournaments for their enjoyment.
After consultation with numerous legal experts in this field, we want to make you aware of the following:
* LegalThe new U.S. legislation does not in any way attempt to criminalize the act of you playing online poker. By playing online at Full Tilt Poker, you are not breaking any U.S. Federal laws.
* Full AccessThe passage of the new Internet Gaming law will not have any impact on your day-to-day experience at Full Tilt Poker. We will provide all of our players, everywhere in the world, with full access to all of our games and tournaments.
* Easy Deposits and WithdrawalsWe will continue to provide our players with all of the safe, secure and convenient methods for transferring money to and from the site. In fact, in recent discussions with our payment processors, we have been assured that this new law will have no immediate impact on their day-to-day business. And as always, any monies that you have on deposit with Full Tilt Poker remain completely safe and secure.
Furthermore, we firmly believe that online poker is not encompassed by this new legislation. In any event, we will continue to lobby for an express carve-out for online poker and for your right to play a truly American game from the privacy of your own home and computer.
We are excited about the future here at Full Tilt Poker and in the coming weeks and months, we plan to roll out many new features designed to enhance your online poker experience.
We appreciate your loyalty to our site and, in turn, want you to know that we will remain loyal to our valued players in the United States and throughout the world.
We look forward to seeing you at the table.
Sincerely,
Full Tilt Poker
The repetitive use of the word “outrage” nearly four months after the bill’s passage indicates how their attitude has changed from being merely concerned back in Oct. I know that FTP has been a long-time supporter of the PPA but this sudden burst of outrage suggests how deeply this is being felt by the entire US facing online poker industry.
I just hope that now that the industry has been slapped hard with this wake-up call they do something meaningful.