Is Microgaming shutting off US players? Just got this email from Grand Monaco

[patswin]

Just got the following email from Grand Monaco advising that Microgaming is locking accounts as of this Friday? Can anyone from MG confirm this? This is the first I am hearing of this.


October 12, 2006

Dear Patrick,

On behalf of Grand Monaco we wish to thank you for your patronage up
until this time. The imminent signing of the Port Bill by President Bush
restricts internet gaming financial transactions in certain states in
the U.S., and our software provider, Microgaming will no longer accept
internet gaming from your state.

While this series of events is extremely unfortunate and we are very
disappointed in the U.S. political system, we must remain compliant with
the evolving legal environment surrounding gambling in the U.S.

We recommend that you withdraw your funds immediately or play them.
On Friday, October 13, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. EST, Microgaming is locking
all customer accounts in your state to be compliant with the new law.

Rest assured, any funds that remain in your account at that time will
be returned to you as soon as possible.
Should you have a remaining balance in your cash account once it has
been locked, please contact our Support Team using the email address
below, to arrange for funds to be paid via a method of your choice.

Email: support@grandmonacosupport.com

Rest assured, should the legal uncertainty change, we will reassess the
situation and look to provide you with a premier online gaming
experience once again.

As Casino Manager, and on behalf of all at Grand Monaco, I would like
to personally thank you for your loyalty.

With sincerest apologies,

Grand Monaco Management

[ciraman]

It appears that Microgaming casinos are blocking players from some states that they have determined online gambling is illegal. I just received the same notice you received from Fortune Lounge and Belle Rock. It appears Wisconsin is one of those states.

[Simmo!]

It appears that Microgaming casinos are blocking players from some states that they have determined online gambling is illegal. I just received the same notice you received from Fortune Lounge and Belle Rock. It appears Wisconsin is one of those states.

Seems that is what is happening. In which case players from the following states will probably not be allowed to play at Microgaming casinos anymore:

• Illinois
• Michigan
• Wisconsin
• Washington
• Indiana
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Louisiana
• South Dakota

Guess that leaves RTG casinos for now. These laws are soooo stupid. Yes there are some good RTGs, but the US government is driving online gambling underground and players will end up playing in lesss regulated territories with little or no recourse.

Ironic - they supposedly want to stop the gambler hurling himself off a cliff, so instead they throw him off. US political logic. Still, as long as the Christian Right are happy and Harrahs are funding Mr Frist, that's okay.

[patswin]

Seems that is what is happening. In which case players from the following states will probably not be allowed to play at Microgaming casinos anymore:

• Illinois
• Michigan
• Wisconsin
• Washington
• Indiana
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Louisiana
• South Dakota

I'm in NY so they must be on that list too.

Also since I got this email I tried to withdraw my balance from Bella Vegas, another MG casino and my account is locked out, can't withdraw my balance. But I can still play BJ...go figure. This is getting ridiculous, I'm getting out of the casino's. At least my sportsbooks are staying open.

[Simmo!]

I'm in NY so they must be on that list too.

Hmm strange. NY and NJ cropped up this morning on the Vegas Partner Lounge list, which was then amended to exclude them. I didn't think online gambling was illegal in those states - yet??

[Cynthia777]

I cannot comprehend why casinos are selecting (or where they are getting) their list of these "certain states" and advise that it is in light of the pending law (which is Federal, if this thing even gets signed) ... Yes, I know that there are statutory laws in each individual State, but why should that be an issue now if it wasn't then, and those State laws were already in place? This is frustrating, I just think that a lot of these casinos are "jumping the gun" on this whole thing. If anyone has any info on Betsson (Cherry Casino) that is confirmed, please advise as well. I just checked the online casino city website and they include Cherry in their list of casinos that will no longer include or have restrictions on U.S. players.

[soflat]

I cannot comprehend why casinos are selecting (or where they are getting) their list of these "certain states" and advise that it is in light of the pending law (which is Federal, if this thing even gets signed) ... Yes, I know that there are statutory laws in each individual State, but why should that be an issue now if it wasn't then, and those State laws were already in place? This is frustrating, I just think that a lot of these casinos are "jumping the gun" on this whole thing.

I don't think it is only the new law that is prompting the casinos. Remember, they arrested that one guy (forgot who) on Louisiana charges.

So, for states that have specific laws against internet gambling, they (the casino bosses) can be hit with a two-pronged attack now (the state law AND the new federali law against funding illegal internet gambling).

[ciraman]

Ever since I started playing online back in 2001, I have seen Wisconsin mentioned in some casinos terms and conditions as a state not allowing online gambling. However, those places still allowed me to play. I guess it took a federal law for them to start following their rules.

[jetset]

This is certainly confusing - earlier this week Grand Monaco took the same strong stance as Villento to continue accepting US players. Now it appears that has changed to something else.

The only explanation I can think of is as stated above - the MGS casinos are taking a middle course by excluding players from individual states in the US where there is an explicit problem with online gambling.

I'm presuming that this list of states was arrived at by consulting US law experts - that would seem logical. But if there are errors in the list are those errors the legal advice, or mistakes in implementation at operator level?

This confusion is not helping anyone, and it's time there was some sort of clarification here from the big boys because it could cost them a lot of business.

[SlotsWizard]

This is certainly confusing - earlier this week Grand Monaco took the same strong stance as Villento to continue accepting US players. Now it appears that has changed to something else.

The only explanation I can think of is as stated above - the MGS casinos are taking a middle course by excluding players from individual states in the US where there is an explicit problem with online gambling.

I'm presuming that this list of states was arrived at by consulting US law experts - that would seem logical. But if there are errors in the list are those errors the legal advice, or mistakes in implementation at operator level?

This confusion is not helping anyone, and it's time there was some sort of clarification here from the big boys because it could cost them a lot of business.

I too received an email from Grand Monaco earlier in the week stating that it was business as usual. Maybe what happened here is that Microgaming forced them into refusing to accept players from select states? Since the banking and gaming is handled by MG servers, it stands to reason that they have more authority than the casino operator regarding which players to accept or reject.

Did players who got this email from Grand Monaco get a similar one from other Microgaming casinos? If so, that would probably confirm this theory.