LEGAL AND RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING

Responsible gambling is simply a matter of realizing that gambling is just another form of entertainment that costs money, and that its practically never a way to get rich quickly or to make a regular living. Responsible gambling is also being able to keep your losses under control. Losing sessions are to be expected and it is responsible gambling to stop your losses while they are still at a very affordable level. Responsible gambling is also never playing when you are in any physical or mental condition that can impair your judgement.

PokerSyte.com does not condone any illegal use of it's content material. All site visitors are advised to make themselves aware of the gambling laws that are applicable to their individual jurisdictions* and to gamble responsibly. . PokerSyte.com has no possible way to control the
actions of it's visitors and disclaims culpability and responsibility for any losses or injuries that
are the result of illegal use of it's content material.

* Residents of these states need to be aware of special state laws on the books that apply to online gambling: . Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Special Notice to American Online Players

On October 13, 2006, President Bush signed the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006" into law. The signing makes it illegal for internet gambling websites to accept wagers from residents of the United States and also for domestic financial services to participate in the transfer of funds from U.S. residents to unlawful internet gambling sites. This includes online poker, casino games, sports and all other types of internet wagering except, oddly enough, online horserace betting. The gambling bill was "backdoored" and attached to the unrelated "Safe Port Act of 2006". The Safe Port Act was the entire focus of a well publicized signing ceremony that was featured on the major tv networks. . On the other hand, the online gambling bill, that is believed by many to be a blatant personal privacy violation and detrimental to the Republican party, was conspicuously not mentioned by the President.

So what should American players do now?
The restrictions on online gambling will be enforced by making the acceptance of wagers from U.S. residents illegal. Also money transfers from Americans to online gambling sites by banks, credit card companies, and similar financials are now illegal. . . Now, if you don't have money in any online casinos or pokerrooms and would still like to play just for fun or practice, there will be plenty of online poker and casino gambling sites that will welcome you aboard to play the free games. Just join up and play for fun as always. . If you happen to have money in non-horseracing gambling accounts, it is probably best to draw it out now. . However . . . as American players, don't give up in despair just yet. . . (read on)

This new law in itself, according to several reliable sources, does NOT make it unlawful for U.S. residents to gamble on the internet as players. In general, It does make unlawful the acceptance of wagers from American residents by internet gambling concerns, and the transfer of funds to (but not from) internet gambling sites. . . When congress got this new law passed, they hadn't figured out how exactly to enforce it so they wrote in 270 days (until about July 10, 2007) to come up with all the money transfer regulations needed to make it work. Significant objection is expected to be sounded by the banks, credit card companies, and other financials who will be faced with additional expenses necessary to block transfers to the poker rooms and other "bad guys". . In the meantime, while lots of the brighter lawyers all over the world are busy inventing creative "work-arounds", some online pokerrooms and casinos are just continuing with "business as usual" with the belief that the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006" does not legally apply to them, or will simply collapse under it's own weight of unfairness and ineffective enforcement.

It doesn't seem like it's all over yet, does it?

Bob Maxwell,
Webmaster, pokersyte.com