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These casino, poker and sportsbook sites are still take bets and wagers from American players |
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The UIGEA |
UIGEA – Requirements & Prospects |
UIGEA – An Alternative |
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Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act might sound like something straight out of an episode of West Wing, but the UIGEA is as real as the US government that will be reconsidering it in 2007. The UIGEA effectively outlawed online gaming last fall, robbing everyday citizens of their right to spend their money and leisure time as they see fit. Some say that the bill was introduced to protect US gaming companies from foreign competition. Others have commented that the UIGEA is just a product of one man’s political ambition, with that man being Senator Bill Frist, the presidential candidate with a strong desire to impress the religious right. Since the USA is still – technically – a democracy, you are free to make your own judgement about the UIGEA. But what you’re not free to do is gamble online...
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The UIGEA effectively says that any company assisting the placing of a wager online, whether this is by communicating information or by helping to transfer funds, is committing a federal offence. Anyone found guilty of committing such an offence may be fined, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. Whether the UIGEA will succeed in putting an end to online gaming for US citizens remains to be seen. Prohibition wasn’t successful in the thirties where alcohol was concerned, it just drove the manufacture and sale of liquor underground. Some fear the same could happen with online gambling, particularly since the internet is a lot more difficult to police than terra firma. Others are hopeful that the UIGEA will be repealed.
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Few opponents of the UIGEA are saying that there should be a free-for-all where internet gambling is concerned. But there is an alternative to banning online gambling outright, and that is regulation. Most other countries regulate the gambling industry closely, and this includes regulating the companies offering online gaming. Not only does regulation ensure that online gambling is as safe and honest as possible, it considerably reduces the temptation for anyone to set up a gambling operation illegally. Regulation is also good for the industry itself, because it sets high standards that ultimately benefit the consumer. If European countries such as France, Germany and the UK can regulate gambling effectively, then why can’t we?
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Poker Rooms
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PokerStars
PokerStars is one of the best online poker rooms around. Download the stable and smooth running software to play a range of games, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud and HORSE. You can choose to play at cash games, sit and go tournaments and multi-table tournaments. The ambitious among you might also try your hand at qualifying for WSOP satellites, the World Poker Tour and the European Poker Tour. This site was the first to offer a guaranteed $1,000,000 no-limit hold’em tournament every week, and that event is still running, so there’s plenty of prize money here for those with the skill and ambition to take it. A generous 100% new player bonus, VIP Club loyalty scheme and minimum deposits of just $10 make signing up here a no brainer.
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UltimateBet
Launched in 2000, the UltimateBet poker room was designed by professional poker players and experts to provide us with the kind of online poker experience we could previously only dream about. The software is superb in every respect, and those of you who are new to the game or want to review the basics can enjoy an online video tutorial with WSOP Champion Annie Duke. A recent overhaul of the site has resulted in many more tournament tables over and above the already impressive range of cash games and single table tourneys. Add a 100% sign-up bonus, plenty of promotional tournaments (including freerolls with six figure prize packages) and lots of traffic and it’s pretty easy to figure out why this poker room has the word Ultimate in its name.
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Sportsbook Poker
Sportsbook Poker is a classy name, and this is a classy site, with a juicy 100% first deposit bonus up to a maximum of $1,000 and some lovely in-game visuals to boot once you’ve downloaded the required software. You can play all of the most popular poker games here, including Hold’em, Omaha and Seven Card Stud. Play for cash at a table to suit your pocket or enter a single or multi-table tournament. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, Sportsbook.com poker has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. You also get some great customer service and access to a very useful Poker School. We love it here.
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Intercasino |
Casinos
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Players Club |
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Golden casino
Golden Casino is a very nice place to spend time, but you don’t have to wait here for long to start smiling. Your first deposit will get you a 100% bonus worth up to $555 and a great Crown Jewels VIP Rewards Program will give you weekly cash backs, free weekly comps and bonuses on any future deposits you make. There are more than 100 games to choose from, and these include traditional favourites such as American Roulette and Blackjack as well as the most modern five-reel, seven-reel and progressive slots games. If all of that isn’t enough to keep you busy, you can participate in one of numerous tournaments that give you a chance of winning big money from a surprisingly tiny buy-in. The bottom line? Golden Casino is every bit as impressive as its name suggests.
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CasinoShare
CasinoShare bills itself as “the most generous casino on the net!” and it backs up that claim by giving you $2008 and an hour of free play – just for signing up and with no deposit required! That alone should be enough reason to make playing here a sensible thing to do, but there’s plenty for CasinoShare to shout about. How about a massive range of games (over 300 at the time of writing), weekly promotions and more progressive jackpots than you could dream of? This casino has already paid out over $200 million in progressive jackpots, and we’re pretty certain there will be many more millionaires created in the future. Those of you who are eco-friendly will also love the CasinoCare loyalty scheme which rewards you for playing and encourages you to “Go Green” at the same time.
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Players Only
Players Only casino can be played in your browser or by downloading the software. The instant casino is very impressive, but the download option gives you more games – over 120 in fact – so that’s one we prefer. You get a nice cash bonus when you sign up as a new Players Only member, and existing members get to enjoy a continuous stream of valuable promotions and events. For those of you who like to prove your casino gaming skills, take part in a tournament and you could win yourself an account full of cash at the same time. Whatever happens, you’re sure to enjoy the classy environment, and the quality of the games themselves is incredible. Oh, and in case you don’t notice, be sure to look out for all the ladies wearing little black dresses...
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Intercasino |
Sportsbooks
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Players Club |
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Bodog
Founded in 1994, the Bodog sportsbook is comprehensive and reliable, offering odds on everything from the predictable football, basketball and soccer games right through to American horse racing, mixed martial arts events and celebrity situations (such as whether a certain TV star will come out of the closet in 2007). Bets are placed using a simple “scroll and click” system which allows you to scroll for the opportunity you want and click a check-box next to the outcome you want to bet on. New account holders get a 10% sign-up bonus and an extremely well thought out “Betting School” reveals all you need to know about point spreads, money management and sports betting psychology. Visit the site to get a free tour with Bodog founder Calvin Ayre.
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Sportsbook.com
Sportsbook.com is an extremely attractive site and an absolute pleasure to explore. Live odds are arranged using a neat tab system that makes it very easy to find what you want (everything from hoops to auto racing is covered here) without cluttering the screen with unruly lists. There are some useful betting tools here, include a betting trends feature which allows you to see exactly where the money is going, and a nice “City Pages” news feed to keep up to date with sporting developments. With some great betting strategy ideas from a panel of experts on top of all this, and a range of promotions that will delight any sports fan, sportsbook.com deserves a place right at the top of you favourites list.
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InterTops.com
The Intertops sportsbook site isn’t the most attractive we’ve seen, but it does offer odds on a vast range of events. Whether you want to bet on ice hockey and football or politics and poker, there are dozens of opportunities here. You can even bet on a number of sports live as the game is unfolding. New clients get a bonus of up to US$50 free with their first deposit, and a $20 free bet as well. Placing bets is straightforward and intuitive, and there are more deposit options than you’ll ever need, including Neteller, MoneyGlobal and Click2Pay alongside the usual credit cards, etc. All in all, a functional sportsbook that is easy to use even if it isn’t so easy on the eye.
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Millionaires Club (9-line) - Game
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