Several amendments were made on the bill before the voting took place and now all that is left for the full House to vote on the bill. The amendments were mainly in the areas of consumer protection and the rights of the individual USA states.

Congressman Barney Frank took the herculean task of trying to legalize online gambling in the USA and overturn the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) which bans banks and other financial institutions from transferring funds to online gambling outfits. Frank has been trying to convince the government of the great advantages that a legal and regulated online gambling industry can offer.

It looks like his efforts will finally pay off and the hopes of USA online gambling enthusiasts will not be shattered. Now that the House Committee has voted in favor of the bill, the final voting by the full house will be the next step. And if the bill gets a sufficient number of votes the bill will finally be passed as a law.

The amendments in the bill has brought about the inclusion of measures for protection against unwanted online advertising, extra measures to prevent underage gambling and it also includes a measure for USA citizens to opt for a voluntary gambling ban.

Officials supporting the bill and players eagerly look forward to the passing of Frank’s bill. However there is a slight catch. If the bill is passed into a law, online casinos that have been offering their services to USA citizens after the passing of the UIGEA will not be eligible for gambling licenses. Some big names in the online casino industry may be in the forefront in this situation.

Whether Lady Gaga will reign on Obama’s parade or whether the “Yes we can” president beat Gaga is really not what we are interested in at the moment. What is of more importance a certain classic casino game has bagged the first place for the most number of fans on Facebook.

The number one ranking Facebook page, based on the number of signed up fans, belongs to Zynga poker. And you would be amazed to know that the Texas Hold’em page has 20,234,958 fans. Who cares about the President or Lady Gaga? Poker has beaten them all.

With the advent of online poker fans, more players from across the globe have been able to access this all time classic casino gambling game. Some of the big names in the biz include William Hill Poker, Full Tilt Poker, Pacific Poker, Titan Poker and Party Poker to name a few. These online poker rooms offer players a wide variety of poker games besides Texas Hold’em like 7 Card Stud and Omaha. You also have a wide variety of freeroll, single table and multi-table tournaments along with different pot limits.

What’s great about these online poker rooms is that they offer free games too. So players can play for free and build their poker playing skills.
The number of poker fans on Facebook only goes to show you how much this game is loved and that the game of poker is here to stay.

Online Casino In USA also has a facebook page… so become a fan and get the latest casino news! Our page is Online Casino In USA Facebook.

Zoeller wasn’t against allowing US residents to play at online casinos, but claimed that each state should regulate online gambling much like they regulated the land based casinos based on their state laws.

According to Zoeller, federal intervention would circumvent and preempt the autonomy of state government. The bills presented before the Congress were likely to undermine the gambling enforcement powers of states.

The other topic of concern was that hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from online gambling would be diverted to the Federal Treasury rather than the State Treasury. Gambling regulation has always been a matter of the state and Zoeller thinks that online gambling should also be left for the states to decide upon.

Many celebrities attended the LA Poker Classic, including the good looking ones and the not so good looking ones as well! These poker players are not likely to keep a poker face when playing against. The celebrities and starlets list included:

Cameron Diaz
Heather Graham
Jenna Fischer
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jenny McCarthy
Joanna Krupa
Lacey Chabert
Laura Prepon
Mena Suvari
Odette Yustman
Pamela Anderson
Rosario Dawson
Sarah Silverman
Serinda Swan
Traci Bingham

Top female poker pros like Vanessa Rousso – EPT Grand Final High Roller’s 2009 event winner, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly and Tiffany Michelle, were also on the list. Who was then the Hottest Celebrity Poker Face was the question unanswered. And as usual, Maxim leaves its readers in suspense and keeps them on the edge of their seats guessing and wondering? I choose Rosario Dawson

Now a study commissioned by a Canadian newspaper states that a number of US residents who were fooled into believing that there was a federal law against online gambling, is now declining in number. The number of residents who were laboring under this mis-apprehension was around 41% in 2007, and now the number had dropped to 37%. This was confirmed by a survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, which are known for their accurate statistics. It is quite obvious that US residents are becoming more aware that though the DoJ claims the Wire Act, it is only relevant to sports betting and not to online gambling.

Another study also proves that half of the US residents prefer government regulation of online casinos, while 55 percent prefer federal regulations, and another 45% state that each state should individually craft their own rules and regulations. With so much of ambiguity in understanding and interpreting the online gaming law in the US, the residents are hopeful that Barney Frank’s bill will soon be passed, which will be an answer to all their concerns and doubts, and the residents of the US could gamble online freely with no restrictions. As of now, Americans feel more comfortable playing wagering games, and will gamble extensively when there is a system of government regulation in place.

In a user poll 30% of the respondents said they had visited a land based casino in 2009, this number was at 35% in 2001, evidently showing a clear decline. It was found that in 2009 about 12% of US residents played online casino games.

The drift of people from land based to online gambling is a natural phenomenon that happens due to the ease of access and much flexible game play. We have already seen how Netflix had washed out the business of Blockbuster with its superior online model to become a leading online movie rental company in the USA.
According to OCA analyst Sherman Bradley the UIGEA and the Department of Justice have created grounds for decelerating the progress of the trend in online gambling to serve their policies. Without government intervention the public would have unanimously opted for online casinos sooner than later, as stated by Bradley.

To add to the ire of online casino business the Nevada Casinos have been ramping up their campaign contributions and it is reflected in the attempt that has been going on in the US senate backed by house Majority leader Harry Reid. Studies like Mintel helps to make sure that the best business models in entertainment will stay and possibly override any such coercive measures brought on by the federal government.

The coding system, which was previously used to block online gambling transactions, was not effective enough as operators were able to retort to coding systems, and identify them as uncoded dealings. However, that was only for a short while, as their resistance helped MasterCard credit cards comeback with more stringent measures to overcome the situation. However, though gambling sites may still find ways to circumvent the blockages created by MasterCard, eventually gambling sites will find that potential US patrons not capable of funding accounts.

Visa, still remains a feasible deposit option, as they are still in the process of solving the coding problem to evade uncoded transactions. It is however a matter of time before Visa adopts MasterCard’s methods and applies the same strategy to resist funding of casino accounts by prospective US clients.

Credit card companies are being proactive and acting in advance on account of the implementation of the UIGEA online gambling ban, which is supposed to begin June 1, 2010. Congress is contemplating to remove the bans and substitute them with regulatory laws. The ban has proved to be overly problematic, especially when legitimate transactions like state lottery sales have been affected too.

The US Citizens will soon breathe a sigh of relief when the UIGEA will be overturned and online gaming made legitimate.

Cornerback Tracy Porter alsomade a touchdown by intercepting Colts quarterback Peyton Manning 74 yards which basically sealed victory for the New Orleans Saints. Watch the highlights video below.

“We just believed in ourselves,” said Brees. “We knew we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us.”

As he lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, New Orleans owner Tom Benson said: “Not only the city but the whole state of Louisiana is back and this shows the whole world.”

Seminole Casinos have been operating table games such as blackjack which are technically illegal under the current law of the state of Florida, and they may be eliminated if no action is taken.

One of the most difficult cases Florida had faced was how to handle the Seminole tribe that had to contend with last year. Every time this matter reached a near settlement, one side would become stubborn with their decision. The Seminoles held the financial part of it while the legislators held the law. The threat of federal relations had loomed hastily over both sides of the table.

Federal prohibition may eventually arrive, coming from the National Indian Gaming Commission. A cease and desist order may be made, instructing the tribal casinos to shut down their blackjack tables in the three casinos functioning under the Seminole banner. On the other hand, the NIGC can hold legal procedures that would allow the blackjack games to continue operating.

If the state makes an attempt to rule against the blackjack games, online gambling in Florida will be the only place for blackjack games in the state. Florida has also been considering operating state casinos, giving casino players a choice that does not consist of Tribal dealings.