Many of the best online poker rooms continued to accept Americans, while new operators emerged. Many payment processors also let, because the UIGEA specifically targeted gambling payment processors. This caused a huge shift in the US online poker market. The US Department of Justice in the Bush era argued that UIGEA also applied to online poker and online casinos, though. When UIGEA was passed, many argued that the law only applied to online sports betting. The reason was simple: people couldn't make fair bets on poker, slots, or blackjack over phone lines. The Wire Act was used by the federal government to take down organized crime.įrom 1961 to 2006, the Wire Act applied phone-based sports betting, but never for poker or casino games. Using wiretaps, the FBI could prosecute sports betting racketeers. Kennedy in 1961, the Wire Act specifically banned interstate sports betting over phone lines. Thus, understanding UIGEA requires an understanding of the Wire Act. It bans types of online gambling that are banned (for telephone lines) under the 1961 Wire Act. UIGEA is a complicated law for online poker players. This led to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006. Key groups in the US population lobbied to have online poker, sports betting, and casino gaming regulated, while others sought to have these activities banned. Mainstream popularity caused a backlash, though. From 2003 to 2006, the Poker Boom saw millions of players worldwide start to play poker online. This growth mirrored what happened to online gambling in general. At the same tournament the next year, 2,576 entrants paid the $10,000 entry fee into the WSOP Main Event.

Since he won entry into the WSOP Main Event on PokerStars, amateur card players worldwide took note.

Moneymaker's win was a key moment for online poker, too.

Seeing a skilled amateur win the biggest event in poker was a watershed moment for organized poker events. Moneymaker beat a field of 839 other players to win the WSOP Main Event, a feat that was featured on ESPN for months. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker won entry into the World Series of Poker Main Event by paying a $86 entry fee and winning a satellite poker event.

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