BAN ON U.S. PLAYER SIGNUPS WIDER THAN VEGAS AFFILIATES (Update)

7 November 2008

More affiliates report communications from programs on US signup ban

 

It appears that the ban on new U.S. player sign-ups at Microgaming-powered online casinos and poker rooms is wider than the Vegas Affiliates communication reported earlier (see previous InfoPowa report). The number of reports that other licensees are following a similar path is growing, and although no comment has yet been made by the Isle of Man gambling software provider, it is becoming clear that the decision to curtail US player sign-ups is wider than was at first thought.

Speculation on where the decision originated is perhaps at this point irrelevant, but there are conflicting opinions. Some suggest that the initiative came from licensees - online casino and poker room operators concerned about the increasing legal confusion, risk, e-cash problems and unpredictable happenings like the Kentucky issue which have made conducting a professional business in the United States increasingly difficult. Others have posted on forums that the move originated with Microgaming but has the full support of licensees.

What is clear is that with effect from next Monday November 10 Microgaming powered operations will no longer accept new US registrations, and that is a lose-lose situation for Internet players, affiliates and operators alike.

It could be seen as a victory of sorts to the US politicians and bureaucrats who greedily sanction other forms of gambling and even make exceptions for online horseracing and state lotteries, but persist in villifying the Internet variety of wagering.

Whether the moratorium on new sign-ups is permanent or not remains to be seen, and could be influenced by the result of appeals against the judge's astonishing rulings in the domain seizure cases in Kentucky.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa