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1. Voxdan
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   ...while I am basically lost when it comes to figuring out the legality and risks of online poker, I do have a question:

   Given all of the legal/illegal debates and questions and threats and all the rest, I still read in poker magazines every month the names and screen names of people who are winning hundreds of thousands of dollars online and many of them are openly from the US, including a wide variety of states. When I watch ESPN and FoxSports and other channels showing the WPT and other poker shows, they commonly refer to a players online experience and even give screen names, etc. and again many of these players are openly from the States. I assume that these players I see in the Pocketfives Top Ten lists, etc. are actually cashing checks - and big ones - fairly regularly. I also assume that they are not having any problems (though I may be mistaken) and seem to be very open about their experience and successes. Anyways, you get the picture.

   It seems that if online poker were as illegal as so many people make it out to be, then some of these guys would have examples made of them. I am not so much asking if it is illegal or not (though I really don't understand any of this) as I am wondering what some of you think about this. Heck, should the average Joe be concerned about the Man coming down on him when the Man doesn't seem to care about the big boys?

   ???

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. Radojka Bunijevac
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   Poker is NOT ILLEGAL for an individual to play in the United States and frankly I'm getting sick of people just seeing the name of an act and automatically getting scared before even reading the law. The UIGEA only affects banks from processing gaming transactions on the net and that's all. There is no federal penalty for this at all. It has been said over and over everywhere on the internet.

   We must continue to play and exercise our rights. The Federal Government's intention was to scare people out of continuing to play online. The only reason they didn't pass a full and complete direct ban is because they knew it would result is massive political and social repercussions. We might fight together with the P.P.A to make the government realize WE are in charge and they are there to serve US and NOT tell us we cannot play a game online, at home, with our own money. The law tells us what we CANT do and NOT what we CAN do.

   Sorry if you construe this to be harsh.

   P.B

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. Robert Truxal
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   ribijk122,

   Just a suggestion. If you are not an attorney I would refrain from making statements like "Poker is NOT ILLEGAL for an individual to play in the United Sates" without some disclaimer or clarification. In this case, you are simply incorrect in making such a broad and overreaching statement.

   Other than that I completely agree with your sentiments and appreciated your's and everyone's support of the PPA and other poker-loving citizines.

   Posted 1 year ago #

4. Radojka Bunijevac
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   Your right xxxFatherxxx I am NOT an attorney and anything I say is not legal advice, however there is currently nothing in the US federal law prohibiting it, Laws vary from state to state, though. Keep writing letters to your representatives people, we are in the fight for our very survival and I personally will do everything in my power to protect our rights to play poker online.

   Posted 1 year ago #

5. Kenneth R. Avellino Avellino
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   With the exception of the state of Washington which recently made is it a crime to "play" online poker there are no laws to convict players of a crime, And good luck to Washington on enforcing the "crime".

   So the US online players who go on TV and mention there on-line poker experience have no real way to be convicted. Though, I do wonder if someone from Washington state might be arrested upon a return to the state and brought to trial.

   As was said above the federal effort is to prevent you from funding your on-line poker account. The banking industry as already said how difficult that would be to implement.

   I read on some post that someone pointed out if players can't figure a way to fund their accounts they probably shouldn't be playing poker anyhow. That seems like some reasonable advice.

   As an Internet consultant I know that unless the Federal government wants to go the route of the PRC with the "Great Firewall of China" and start controlling access to sites on the Internet there is no real way to stop on-line poker play from the US.

   I don't see any movement on the part of the Feds to start monitoring citizens and what sites they visit. Heck they can't even control the visits to truly illegal sites like child porn. So if they can't stop that kind of obvious illegal activity I don't see how they can stop on-line poker.

   Just my 2 cents worth.

   Posted 1 year ago #

6. Voxdan
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   Well, ribijk122, I do construe your post to be harsh, but it doesn't offend me. I can sense your frustration and appreciate your passion.

   That said, you just sound like you are completely overreacting to this post and perhaps looking for a place to sound off. I hope you felt better after you hit enter. It's good to vent sometimes. Perhaps next time, you should just make your own post, so you can better rally the troops.

   I was not saying it was legal or illegal but only posing what I thought was an interesting thought. But thanks for the pep talk.

   Sorry to get you all riled up. Next time, consider deep breathing or counting to ten before you post a reply.

   ; )

   Posted 1 year ago #

7. Radojka Bunijevac
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   Voxdan, You wouldn't believe how pissed I am over the whole UIGEA and congress thinking they have some sort of authority to run our lives. I'm sorry that you feel my original post was harsh.

   "That said, you just sound like you are completely overreacting to this post and perhaps looking for a place to sound off. I hope you felt better after you hit enter." - I was not attacking you personally, I was putting the blunt facts out there. If you felt I attacked you personally, I apologize.

   "That said, you just sound like you are completely overreacting to this post and perhaps looking for a place to sound off. " - Not sure where your going with that.

   "Sorry to get you all riled up. Next time, consider deep breathing or counting to ten before you post a reply. " - Not sure if your trying to be condescending with this or if you were sincere.

   With all due respect, The need for the post you made would have been eliminated with about 5 minutes of research (ex. google search: "UIGEA text"). Again, I apologize If I came off as harsh, I am extraordinarily pissed off with the whole situation.

   Posted 1 year ago #

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