Online Gambling in the USA?

Online Gambling in the USA?

I remember being so bummed back in 2006 when the Congress in conjunction with George W. Bush essentially banned online poker by introducing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). My poker site of choice back then was http://www.pokerroom.com/, which if you don’t remember came about two or three years before Poker Stars and about four to six years before Full Tilt. In fact, I remember playing at Poker Room and not really trusting the ‘newbie’ sites because they did not seem as well established (I laugh about it now). Any way, Poker Room.com took the 2006 ban quite serious and stopped accepting bank transactions from USA players and the only thing to do was to cash-out by check.

In the mean time, Texas Hold’em and the World Series of Poker, by 2006, had already gained some serious traction with the tournament win of Chris Moneymaker in 2003 which led to the record attendance and a record breaking 12-Million dollar first place money, which was of course won by the infamous Jamie Gold in 2006. But, in 2006 the UIGEA splashed some cold water on the game.

Well, we all know some poker sites did not ban USA players and are now giants of online poker. However, the reason I write this today, is I am curious about your thoughts regarding Congressman Barney Frank’s intent to propose legislation that would repeal the UIGEA. The odds are quite good that a repeal will pass, and I am wondering how the USA poker community will respond. I wonder if the once well-established sites, like Poker Room.com, will regain traction and their once-held popularity.

As a Sacramento poker player, what do you think?

What Sacramento poker room do you like to frequent?

What poker room would you recommend as a Sacramento poker player?