President Signs Unlawful Internet Gambling Act

Bush Really Signed the Safe Port Act with Unlawful Internet Gambling Act Attached

President Bush today signed the port security bill that also includes legislation to limit the ways online poker fans can deposit money into their favorite accounts.

The official name of the bill is the Safe Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006. On the last Friday in September, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist worked into the night to get the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGE) attached to the port act. Congress passed the act nearly unanimously in the last vote before an extended election-year recess.

Earlier that week, Frist tried to get the UIGE attached to a major defense spending bill, but both Republican and Democrats spoke out against this action because of the importance of the defense spending bill.

Several online sites, including PartyPoker and 888.com, said they will stop allowing real-money players located in America to play on its sites after Bush signed the bill.

Other sites, like PokerStars, Absolute Poker, Bodog, and Full Tilt, said they will still do business with Americans in the US even after Bush signed the bill into law.

News Added: 14 October, 2006

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