Bush signed H.R. 4954, the SAFE Port Act, at 10 am ET in the Eisenhower Exec. Office Building. Attached to the port bill was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Bush didn't mention the Internet gaming provision at the signing ceremony.
Though many public poker companies will now stop accepting deposits from US players, including PartyPoker the world's biggest online poker room, most privately owned poker firms have announced it's "business as usual".
The following poker rooms will abandon their US players: Party Poker, Pacific Poker, Cryptologic, Boss Media, iPoker.
Fortunately all poker rooms advertised on our site will continue to accept US players.
Poker Stars released a statement yesterday that said: "...Therefore, our business continues as before - open to players worldwide including the US. You may play on our site as you did prior to the Act. "
The official response from Full Tilt Poker reads: "In the short term, we assure you that your online experience at Full Tilt Poker will not change. You will still be able to deposit and withdraw money from the site using the same methods and payment processors you have always used, and your money will remain completely safe and secure. We cannot predict how the online poker experience may change in the future, but we do not expect any immediate impact from the legislation, as the banking industry has 270 days to implement new rules after the bill is signed."
A spokesman for Poker.com stated on October, 2: "The passing of this act through congress will have no immediate affect on operations at Poker.com. We are not currently planning to close the accounts of US players, and all funds within player accounts are perfectly safe and will always be readily accessible. It is worth noting that the act is primarily related to financial transactions between gaming businesses and banks and no penalties have been introduced to to discourage individual citizens who wish to play poker online. We will continually monitor the legislative changes and obtain detailed legal advice on this situation, but for now it is business as usual.
As far as we are concerned our operations are 100% legal under international law and we follow all laws of the jurisdictions in which our operations reside."
Bodog Poker also remains committed to US players, as demonstrated by this statement from CEO Calvin Ayre, released earlier this week:"It will likely take months to fully understand what, if any, ramifications there are from this new law," said Ayre. "Our customers may take comfort in knowing that Bodog.com is structured in such a way that we're well situated to adapt to any changes in any legal environment."
"We are poised to continue our spectacular growth in the online gaming and digital entertainment space and if anything, the pending legislation has validated our broad-based digital entertainment model and our decision to stay private," he continued. "We see the future as very positive for Bodog.com."