On behalf of the Governmental Affairs Committee, the following report is provided to inform WPA members about ongoing activities of governmental agencies and regulatory authorities that affect the worldwide poker community.
During the past several weeks, two government prosecutions have dominated the news in the worldwide poker community - one in London and the other in New York.
On or about January 16th, Derek Kelly, Chairman of the Gutshot Private Members Club in London was found guilty of running illegal poker games in 2004 and 2005, violating the UK's Gaming Act of 1968.
Gutshot Private Members Club has vowed to appeal the court's ruling, insisting that the Club will continue its operations, fines applied by the Court notwithstanding. Mr. Kelly indicates that he is confident he will succeed on appeal. In the meantime, a date for sentencing and consideration of costs has been set for February 16, 2007. The judge has been quoted in British newspapers as saying, "I do not consider this to be a case where any sentence of imprisonment is appropriate."
Meanwhile, in the United States, millions of American Internet-based poker players have been rocked by recent events in the Department of Justice's expanded and aggressive efforts to eliminate online betting among U.S. residents in accordance with its interpretation of its mandate, following the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 ("UIGEA").
Last week, DOJ unsealed indictments against Neteller founders and former executives of the company, Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre, who were charged with money laundering by the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York.
In announcing the indictments, US Attorney Michael J. Garcia stated that the arrests were made in connection with the alleged "creation and operation of an Internet payment services company that facilitated the transfer of billions of dollars of illegal gambling proceeds from US citizens to the owners of various Internet gambling companies located overseas."
The DOJ's broadening investigation into Internet-based gaming, following the enactment of the UIGEA, has triggered unprecedented concern for the viability of safe and secure vehicles for deposits of funds by U.S.-based gamblers into online gaming companies.
The expanded worries are partly attributed to the DOJ's action of January 22, 2007 to reach out to several large-scale international investment and commercial banking institutions in an unprecedented move, apparently to obtain e-mail and telephone records for further discovery and prosecution purposes in their investigation of illegal Internet-based gaming activity.
Internet gaming organizations that presently accept bets from US gamblers have been quick to offer assurances that players' monies are totally secure at their sites. Some of them, however, have notified customers of the need to delay cash outs temporarily, in order to facilitate necessary changes in the processing of these transactions.
The WPA Government Affairs Committee has put together two discrete website lists for your consideration and review of government activity that relates to poker. The first group covers the waterfront:
Casino City - http://www.casinocity.com
E-Gaming Review - http://www.egrmagazine.com/
Gambling Law US State Laws - http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Laws/
Gambling Links Legal Section - http://www.gamblinglinks.com/legal.html
Gambling Rights America - http://www.gamblingrightsamerica.org
Online Poker FAQ - http://www.onlinepokerfaq.com/uigea.html
Pocket Fives - http://www.pocketfives.com/
Poker News - http://www.pokernews.com/
Text of UIGEA (Title VIII of the SAFE Port Act) - http://www.rules.house.gov/109_2nd/text/hr4954cr/hr49543_portscr.pdf
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 Analyzed - http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/columns/2006_act.htm
Two Plus Two Publishing - http://www.twoplustwo.com/
UNLV Libraries - Selected Internet Resources on Gaming - http://library.nevada.edu/subjects/gaming_Internet.html
The second group is more narrowly targeted:
Arizona - http://www.azgaming.gov/index.htm
California - http://caag.state.ca.us/gambling/index.htm
Colorado - http://revenue.state.co.us/Gaming/home.asp
Connecticut - http://www.ct.gov/dosr/site/default.asp
Florida - http://www.fla-gaming.com/
Illinois - http://www.igb.state.il.us/
Nevada - http://gaming.nv.gov/
New Jersey - http://njdge.org
New York - http://www.racing.state.ny.us/
Texas - http://www.txrc.state.tx.us/
While the WPA does not offer any opinion regarding the validity of the information provided on any of the above mentioned websites, we consider it our obligation to point you in the direction of material that members have brought to our attention that may be of some utility.
We invite and encourage you to continue to provide us with your recommendations for additions and changes in our published list.
The Government Affairs Committee looks forward to a positive resolution to the current business uncertainties that have been created both by the trial of Derek Kelly of Gutshot in London and the recently enacted federal legislation in America.
It would seem that the issue of skill vs. chance will continue to dominate the discussion in determining the legality of poker in jurisdictions where gaming is under fire.
Cordially,
Wendeen H. Eolis
Chairman, Government Affairs Committee
World Poker Association
All the best in 2007!
Warm Regards,
Jesse Jones
World Poker Association
There is a lot of great infomation here folks, read and learn then get involved, keep internet gaming alive.
William
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