UIGEA News

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the UIGEA, was passed by a corrupt Republican led congress 15 minutes before the 2006 congressional session came to a close. No debate was allowed on the bill, which was a part of a must pass Safe Port Security bill. The language for the UIGEA couldn't even be found in the bill text until the two-hundredth and something page. The powers that helped pass the UIGEA, like former Senator Jim Leach, were quickly voted out of office because of the outrage that came from the online gambling community, with the strong help of the Poker Players Alliance.

Once the UIGEA passed in 2006 Congressman Barney Frank became the champion of the industry by proposing bill after bill meaning to overturn the ill-conceived, and unenforceble US online casino law. His bills did not pass the still Republican led administration, but now that Democrats have control of all three branches of the federal government, odds are good that the UIGEA will soon be a thought of the past. Stay tuned for the latest news pertaining to this issue.

Regulation, Not Prohibition, Found as Best Online Gambling Policy
Published on August 3, 2010 by Preston Lewis

A bipartisan group acknowledged that the UIGEA was flawed by nature and online gambling could best be controlled through regulation....

New Hampshire's New Online Gambling Funding Method Eludes UIGEA
Published on June 24, 2010 by Preston Lewis

A method being used by the New Hampshire Lottery to give customers funding at its new online gambling site may prove of use to Internet casinos trying to stay clear of UIGEA enforcement....

UIGEA Technology Can Ban Online Casinos, Why Not Regulate Them?
Published on June 2, 2010 by Tom Weston

Protests of the problematic nature of regulating online casinos ignore the technology needed to enforce the UIGEA Internet gambling ban....

UIGEA Hare Has Lead on Online Casino Turtles, For Now
Published on May 31, 2010 by Joshua McCarthy

Anti-gambling groups are happy the UIGEA implementation will take effect June 1st, but legislation rendering the online casino ban moot is making slow progress and may give Internet gambling operators the last laugh....

Banker Says UIGEA Online Casino Ban Ineffective
Published on April 22, 2010 by Tom Weston

The second-in-command at the American Bankers Association says the UIGEA online casino ban not only won't work, it'll be expensive, too....

Internet Casino Bill Hearing Delayed
Published on April 13, 2010 by A.J. Maldonado

The committee hearing on Barney Frank's bill regulating online casinos and Internet gambling has been moved from Friday to a date to be determined....

Frank Internet Gambling Bill Finally to Get Hearing
Published on April 10, 2010 by Ed Bradley

After a year of delay, the Barney Frank proposal to regulate Internet gambling will get a Congressional committee hearing....

Missouri Congressmen Push for Regulated Online Gambling
Published on February 26, 2010 by A.J. Maldonado

Two US Representatives from Missouri are joining the fight to bring regulation to online gambling at the federal level....

FBI Preparing UIGEA Online Gambling Case Against Full Tilt?
Published on February 21, 2010 by Joshua McCarthy

Circumstantial reports may indicate the US government is preparing its first case using the UIGEA online gambling ban, involving online poker operator Full Tilt....

US Government Officially Delays Online Casino Ban Implementation
Published on November 27, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

After rumors had circulated that the UIGEA compliance date would be pushed back at the last second, the Treasury and Fed did exactly that, delaying the online casino ban another six months....

UIGEA Online Gambling Payment Ban Pushed Back
Published on November 25, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

Just in the nick of time, word has escaped from highly-placed sources in the financial community that the US Treasury will postpone enactment of the UIGEA rules concerning online gambling payment processing....

Frank Online Casino Bills Get Committee Date
Published on November 25, 2009 by Tom Weston

Legislation authored by Barney Frank proposing the licensing and regulation of online casinos will come up for committee discussion next week, after a long wait....

Online Casino Ban Implementation Looming
Published on November 21, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

Although it seemed a year was sufficient time to organize at least a delay of the implementation of the online casino ban, the UIGEA will be enforceable come December 1st, barring last-second action....

Anti-Gambling Lawmakers Push for Online Casino Ban Start
Published on November 6, 2009 by Tom Weston

US lawmakers Jon Kyl and Spencer Bachus asked the Treasury Department to ignore other legislators and continue apace with the implementation of the UIGEA online casino ban....

UIGEA Online Casino Ban May Help Money Launderers
Published on October 19, 2009 by Ed Bradley

A gaming-law expert says the block on online casino payment transactions may increase rather than impede money laundering....

Illinois' Online Gambling May Meet UIGEA Resistance
Published on October 16, 2009 by Tom Weston

Online gambling is now licensed in Illinois, but that doesn't mean the UIGEA won't interfere with payment processing in the state....

Congressmen Urge Treasury to Postpone UIGEA Online Gambling Rules
Published on October 2, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

Seventeen US Representatives signed a letter to the Treasury Department asking that online gambling payment processing bans not be implemented December 1st as scheduled....

Online Gambling Payments Legal in Most States, US Court Finds
Published on September 1, 2009 by Ed Bradley

An appeals court's ruling against claims that the UIGEA is unconstitutional shot down a series of arguments against the law, but opened a new avenue by finding the law only acts in areas with existing online gambling bans....

UIGEA Online Casino Ban Brings Legal Questions
Published on August 26, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

Questions of jurisdiction and enforcement dog laws like the UIGEA online casino payment ban, which seeks to apply US law outside the country's borders....

Brazil Looks to Block Online Casino Payments a la UIGEA
Published on August 23, 2009 by Ed Bradley

The legislature of Brazil is contemplating a law similar to the UIGEA to prevent online casino payments from being processed....

Court Questions Cause iMEGA Concerns on Online Gambling Case
Published on July 20, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

Representatives of iMEGA are worried that unexpected paths of questioning by an appellate court may indicate trouble for the case against the UIGEA and the online gambling ban....

Hearing Date Set for IMEGA Suit Against US Online Gambling Ban
Published on June 23, 2009 by Tom Weston

The ongoing case byiMEGA against the UIGEA online gambling ban will be heard by a federal appeals court in the first week of July....

Frank Brings Separate Bill to Prevent UIGEA Online Casino Ban
Published on May 6, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

Following his landmark Internet gaming regulatory act, Barney Frank also introduced a bill to push back any enforcement of the UIGEA until Congress has a chance to consider the ban....

Gambling Law Expert Says Frank Online Casino Bill Challenged
Published on April 30, 2009 by Preston Lewis

A speaker at a gaming law convention says the Frank bill to strike the UIGEA is unlikely to pass Congress, leaving online gambling to the states for rulings....

Online Gambling is Future for State Lotteries
Published on April 9, 2009 by Tom Weston

States are desperate to increase revenue by growing lottery sales, and online gambling seems to be the best path, if the UIGEA would stay out of the way....

Frank's Online Casino Bill Will Follow High Road
Published on April 2, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

Barney Frank will insist his bill to regulate online casino gambling be properly debated, discussed, and voted upon, even the UIGEA was not....

Will UIGEA Interfere with Legal Intrastate Online Gambling?
Published on March 30, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

Several states plan to use the exemption granted in the UIGEA to host intrastate online gambling, but concerns of unwarranted UIGEA interference arise....

US Moves to Block Facts in Online Casino Ban Court Case
Published on March 26, 2009 by Tom Weston

The US government told a federal court it should not admit new evidence that the UIGEA online gambling ban is causing unintended results because the news didn't exist when the case was first heard....

Rushmore Online Casino Guards US Youth Better Than UIGEA
Published on March 17, 2009 by Virginia Maddox

Rushmore distinguishes itself among online casinos by accepting US customers while working to protect children and problem gamblers....

Illinois Joins List of States Seeking Online Gambling
Published on March 10, 2009 by Preston Lewis

Illinois lawmakers are considering plans to legalize and regulate online gambling on horse races and the lottery....

Online Casino Sportingbet Nears US Settlement
Published on March 5, 2009 by Tom Weston

Online casino operator Sportingbet is near resolution of its conflict with the US over activity before the UIGEA ban....

US Department of Justice Seeks to Hide Online Casino Law Failings
Published on March 4, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

The Department of Justice blocked a move by iMEGA to update its case against the UIGEA online casino ban to include evidence showing the law isn't working properly....

Study Reveals US Losing Billions to Online Gambling Ban
Published on February 26, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

Pricewaterhouse released results of a study on the economic impact of taxing online gambling, concluding that the US loses tens of billions of dollars a year by not regulating online casinos....

Internet Safety Act As Flawed As Online Gambling Bill
Published on February 22, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

Once again, politicians are making unwise moves in overreaction to vague threats of dangers to children, as they have done for years against online casinos....

Online Gambling Brought to Illinois by State Senator?
Published on February 16, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

The head of the Illinois state Senate wants to introduce Internet gambling to the state's gaming selections, allowing for the purchase of lottery tickets online....

UIGEA Online Gambling Law Debacle Snowballs Offline
Published on January 25, 2009 by Joshua McCarthy

Initial findings that the UIGEA ban against online casino payments had led to blocked state lottery sales are now reinforced by reports of lottery sales at local stores on debit cards being denied....

Obama's Midnight Freeze One Day Late for Online Casinos
Published on January 21, 2009 by A.J. Maldonado

One of President Obama's first moves after yesterday's Inauguration was to halt all pending midnight regulations, but the finalized UIGEA rules finished review the day before....

Online Gambling in US Grows Despite UIGEA Ban
Published on January 19, 2009 by Tom Weston

A market survey shows that the growth of the online casino industry has continued, with US players making up the largest market segment despite the prohibition against Internet gambling....

Barack Obama Petitioned by Online Gambling Supporters
Published on January 16, 2009 by K.C. Carmichael

The incoming President's online message board has been besieged by online poker players and Internet gamblers eager to see the repeal of the UIGEA....

Poker Players' Alliance Urges Public to Call Fed Re UIGEA
Published on November 11, 2008 by Ed Bradley

The Poker Players' Alliance wants people to register their disapproval of the Treasury's sudden attempt to impose regulations enforcing the UIGEA against online gambling by calling the Federal Reserve and protesting....

Online Casino Bill Waits for New Congress
Published on September 30, 2008 by Preston Lewis

The Internet gambling bill Barney Frank introduced to curb the UIGEA will have to wait until the next Congress convenes to be subject to a vote....

Online Casinos Defended in iMEGA Suit Against UIGEA
Published on September 29, 2008 by Joshua McCarthy

Internet gambling in the United States may be legal and regulated soon, as a legal challenge to the UIGEA has risen to parallel the legislative ones....

New Bill Would Allow Online Casinos by Tightening UIGEA
Published on August 4, 2008 by A.J. Maldonado

Internet gambling and poker would be excluded from any UIGEA prosecutions under a new bill before Congress, leaving sports wagering as the main target....

Online Gambling Bill Gets 2 New Co-Sponsors, Moves Forward
Published on June 20, 2008 by Joshua McCarthy

Representatives Abercrombie and Lynch joined the group of Congressmen co-sponsoring a bill to prevent implementation of the UIGEA....

Even Horse Racing Victim of Foul UIGEA
Published on June 17, 2008 by K.C. Carmichael

The tentacles of the UIGEA have dug their way into many unintentional pitfalls, and horse racing is just another victim of this unjust law....

Bill Proposing Retraction of Online Gambling Ban Gets New Support
Published on May 16, 2008 by Tom Weston

More Congressmen are lining up to sponsor Barney Frank's bill which would forbid enforcement of the ludicrous UIGEA....

Congressmen Send Letter Against Online Gambling Enforcement
Published on April 23, 2008 by Joshua McCarthy

Both the Treasury and the Fed received a bipartisan Congressional letter calling for the end of implementation of measures to prevent online gambling....

Barney Frank Attempts to Mitigate UIGEA Damage
Published on April 13, 2008 by Joshua McCarthy

Barney Frank, with the support of Ron Paul, has authored a bill to stop any further attempts to enforce the UIGEA....

Congressional Hearing Finds Unanimous Disapproval of UIGEA
Published on April 2, 2008 by Joshua McCarthy

A Congressional investigation into the efficacy of the UIGEA hears from a multitude of witnesses that the bill is worthless....

Online Gambling Ban Gets Congressional Review
Published on March 28, 2008 by Joshua McCarthy

A Congressional subcommittee will meet next week to review flaws and proposed changes to the infamous UIGEA anti-gambling bill....