In an expected but still unwelcome move this week, the online poker
network Tribeca Tables has announced that it will no longer welcome
new US players, and that with effect from February 28 all US IP addresses
will be locked out.
The likelihood of such a move was announced some time previously when
the company was taken over by turnkey provider Playtech, but still
comes as a shock for US players, who are being increasingly excluded
from enjoying their favorite game over the Internet in the wake of
the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The implementation of the ban will add new urgency to the efforts
to find another US-friendly network by several leading sites, including
those belonging to poker legend Doyle Brunson. Sources have claimed
that these popular sites are developing their own network, and the
news will undoubtedly accelerate this process, perhaps enabling a
re-launch as early as March. Meanwhile, non-US players will continue
to be serviced.