Real Money Poker

Online Poker is not dead. RealMoneyPoker.org's stance is that the USA is facing a much needed "inflection point". The Black Friday event and the media frenzy that ensued where stepping stones towards a regulated poker environment. And legalization may just be around the corner. On October 25th 2011, a congressional hearing took place at the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. Rep. Joe Barton from Texas is pushing for the introduction of a new bill that would pave the way towards legal gaming. And the response from the subcommittee was surprisingly favorable, provided that consumer protection would be implemented and the accountability of operators / players clearly apparent. Players are enthused because they are witnessing the crafting a bill that could legalize the US poker ecosystem from end to end. The recent reversal of stance on the Wire Act further crystallized this sentiment in December of 2011. Although credit card poker sites accepting US Players may be a rationed commodity these days, there are still many viable alternatives for poker aficionados.

It's also not all gloom and doom if you look outside of the USA. France has already regulated online poker inside its borders (including sports and horse races), and it has been a documented success. Offshore sites have successfully been banned, and also blocked by the ISPs with help from the Arjel Gaming Governing Body. Italy is following the same suit, except that the country offers the entire gambling suite to its citizens. The Italian gaming framework is ran by AAMS.gov: "Amministrazione autonoma dei monopoli di Stato". Germany and Spain will be next to implement their own regulations. In fact, Germany has already approved intra-regional regulation in the State of Chleswig-Holstein. So why can't the United Sates offer Legal Real Money Poker ? All current attempts at intra-state regulation have failed in the USA, except in Washington DC and Nevada. With the recent reversal on the Wire Act, intra-state poker should now be fully legal. And if you look at the current deficit and downgrading of the US banks' credit rating, there has never been a better time to inject some money back into the economy.

Unfortunately, until such a law passes, the gambling money will continue to leak outside of the USA. The trickle is inevitable as US friendly sites operate offshore to get around the UIGEA law (implemented in 2006). And until regulation passes, an increasing number of sites will cease to accept USA players. The reasons are numerous and complex. American players are expensive. Truth be told, they may not even be profitable for certain operators, considering the additional investment in payment processing. United States players also represent a significant legal risk. Although it is now clearer that Texas Holdem for Real Money is a game of skill and wasn't targeted by the Wire Act (which outlawed sports betting), the actions of the current Administration seem to indicate otherwise. Sites like PokerStars and FullTiltPoker have been accused of being "illegal businesses". Additionally, Full Tilt Poker is seen as being a "Global Ponzi Scheme" by a prominent U.S. Attorney. Full Tilt's legal hurdles were much deeper than Stars', as the company couldn't repay its players and had to liquidate by selling to the Groupe Tapie of French business investors. Laurent Tapie, the main shareholder following the acquisition is none other than Bernard Tapie's son, a public figure in France having coached the French soccer team : "Olympique de Marseille". Under his direction, they went on to win the European World cup in 1993.

Our advice during this market inflection point is to simply ride the wave, and hope for better things to come. If you're a poker professional, the better solution might be to expatriate to another country such as Canada. The main reason is to escape the volatility of the market which can negatively impact your earnings potential. But if you're a recreational player, you'll be glad to hear that there a quite a few alternatives to Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, albeit with much smaller playing fields. Is it harder to deposit real cash at these surrogate sites ? Yes, it can be. But it's worth it if you ask us at RealMoneyPoker.org. Playing poker for real chips is a lot more formative than facing off against novices at Zynga. Online poker is here to stay, it just faced a temporary setback in the United States. The silver lining is the imminent legalization of the sector, and the likely entrance of Las Vegas (MGM and Harrah's) in the market. These world famous brands could offer unprecedented incentives and benefits to their players. For example, online VIP cards, and the likely merging of brick and mortar loyalty programs with those of the online world. Benefiting from the M-Life and Total Rewards programs online would certainly be a dream to most American poker players...