The US vs Online Gambling - Part Two

by Kenneth Bateman


Online gaming won a small victory in 1999, when the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act failed to achieve the two-thirds majority vote necessary for passage in the House of Representatives as required by law. Cause for celebration by the multi-billion dollar online gaming industry, however, was short-lived.

As it is now being enforced in 2006 by an anti-internet gambling United States Government, the law as it has been amended in the Federal Criminal Code makes it unlawful for any person engaged in a gambling business to use the Internet or any other interactive computer service to:

- Place, receive or otherwise make a bet or wager. - Send, receive, or invite information assisting in the placing of a bet or wager. - Penalties include fines and up to five years imprisonment.

Some legal minds, particularly, but not necessarily, those persons aligned with Internet gambling interests, suggest there is no actual constitutional authority for these actions, and the enforcement of this legislation amounts to an abuse of constitutional authority. The key to this argument is in the 10th Amendment, which specifies that all powers not enumerated in the Constitution belong to the people and the States.

Certainly, legal brick and mortar gambling establishments in the United States will view this Federal assault on internet gambling as an elimination of competitors. As far as Federal, State and local governments are concerned, they receive no benefit from online gambling, since these offshore establishments do not create tax revenue.

The State of Nevada is coping with the meteoric growth of online poker by forcing all prospective gaming license applicants to sell any ownership stakes in online casinos, and prohibiting licensed poker rooms from conducting satellite tournaments that award winners with prepaid buy-ins to Nevada poker events.

However, despite conventional on-land casino's silence on this issue, the WSOP championship event host, the Las Vegas Rio, did allow several online poker sites to promote themselves in the Rio's luxurious hospitality rooms. Doyle's room, UltimateBet and Bodog were some of the internet gambling entities that were conspicuously present at the 2006 WSOP.

Harrah's Hotel and Entertainment Enterprises, owner of the Rio, rationalizes that these online gaming operators are not in violation of U.S. gambling regulations since they are advertising themselves under their online .net suffix where poker can be played free with no money exchanged, as opposed to their .com suffix, where poker is played for real money. This arrangement allows Harrah's to consider themselves "within the law" because they are not allowing the promotion of online gambling, just internet games played for "fun".

Of course, it is obvious that once online players begin playing for free and increasing their skills and confidence, it is almost a foregone conclusion that they will try their luck at real money play. As further proof of the wink and nod relationship between the Rio's WSOP relationship to online poker sites, Nolan Dalla, the WSOP series media director, is a high-profile spokesman for the internet gambling site Pokerstars.com, and the felt tops of the WSOP poker tables feature the logos of Partypoker.

About the Author

Kenneth Bateman writes numerous articles on the subject of online casinos. To read more of his articles visit 21-Online-Casinos.com.

The Us Vs Online Gambling - Part One

by Kenneth Bateman


The 2006 World Series of Poker provided an excellent opportunity for Internet poker sites to advertise their web presence to the public at large. The Full Tilt Poker Lounge at the Rio in Las Vegas, the home of the WSOP championship tournament, was one example of the swank hospitality suites set up to promote online poker games.

Potential customers are invited to learn the ropes of internet poker by playing free games where no money changers hands. However, although many of these online gambling sites offer other betting options in addition to poker, those options are no longer promoted at the poker hospitality suites because online sports betting is illegal in the United States.




Currently, there is a convoluted controversial debate in Congress regarding the business of Internet gambling as it occurs in the U.S. During the 2006 WSOP tournament run for instance, Bodog.com, an internet casino and sports book based in Costa Rica had planned to host the biggest Internet gambling conference ever held at Wynn Las Vegas. The conference was to be chaired by Bodog's founder and chief executive, Calvin Ayre. Ayre is high profile entrepreneur who has appeared on the cover of Forbes "Billionaires" issue and was featured in People magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" issue as well.

Ayre cancelled the conference primarily because of the arrest of David Carruthers, at a Texas airport. Carruthers was (he has since been fired) the chief operating officer of Bentonsports PLC, a company that owns a number of online sports books and casinos, and launched a successful public stock offering in London in 2004.

Carruthers arrest was made because he represented an organization that accepted bets from gamblers in the U.S. Under the Federal Wire Act - a rule established in the 1960s designed to close down mafia-run bookmaking operations in the United States -that, as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice, rules that all forms of Internet gambling are illegal.

At least two U.S. courts have upheld the Federal Wire Act, confirming that the Act is violated when any type of gambling is conducted to/from the U.S. via the internet. However, one court's decision could become a path to legality for online poker in particular, since that court's verdict asserts that the Wire Act applies specifically to sports betting and not other forms of gambling.

With that court's decision as a basis for argument, some legal experts and spokespersons for Internet poker sites are saying that Internet casinos and poker sites are different from their sports-betting counterparts.

Meanwhile, Bodog's hospitality suite which promotes the company's online poker site is open and entertaining at the Rio as is the lounge for ParadisePoker.com, a London-based site owned by a publicly traded company. Neither lounge makes any mention of online sports betting.

About the Author

Kenneth Bateman writes numerous articles on the subject of online casinos. To read more of his articles on the best casinos online.

Party Poker Is Online

by Fred C


With World Poker Tour becoming such a hit Poker Play World was built as a refuge for adults seeking the hottest gambling and adult entertainment the web has to offer. The

Over a year ago while sitting in front of the computer surfing the web for Adult entertainment when the idea was born to create a true one stop site just for adults only, after seeing how cheesy some of the sites looked. Gambling and adult entertainment exists and at Poker Play World is tastefully shown. There would be only the most reputable and big money games available.

The creator of Poker Play World being a Woodstock baby from the era of Jimi Hendrix,the Rolling Stones (when they were really raw!), Janis Joplin etc. as well as being an avid poker player, had a broader vision.


Create an environment where gambling and adult entertainment being intertwined tastefully. The perfect example would be the great success of Las Vegas entertainment and gambling for adults. With this in mind he decided to build entertainment sites for adults only with a unique model.

Only the hottest companies would be placed under one site. The idea was to create a place where not having money wasn't always an option .The theme of the site is to have fun, therefore there are plenty of free galleries,free adult games, free adult chat,free dating,free movies,etc. for adults to have fun. There is a astrology and meditation section,golf section,advice section,for adult entertainment.

The creator of the site stated, "We don't advertise to kids, and make it a point to focus on adults only" ! So far there are over 7000 top adult entertainment and gambling sites like Poker .com, Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, Adult friend finder, Girls Gone Wild, Poker Room, Full Tilt, etc. This is indeed a true one stop for adults !

About the Author

Contact Fred C for more insights into this topic. Email: thetrueonestop@yahoo.com Other sites reviewed by Fred are: http://www.pokerplayworld.com/ , http://www.24hrsofgambling.com/ , http;//www.24hrsofpoker.com & http://www.2pokerland/