Microgaming US Casinos Block US Players

April 27, 2011 | News Category: Gaming Law

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Although many Microgaming online gambling operators continued to allow US players to play in their online casinos after the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) was enacted in 2006, a large number of these online gambling operations withdrew from the US market in 2008, when the Kentucky domain names were seized.

There were some Microgaming online casinos that simply left the US, and there were other Microgaming online gambling sites that only left the US states that had clearly stated that online gambling, or any gambling, was illegal in their states. In the states in which Microgaming online casinos did remain, the casinos did not accept any new US players, but did allow those that already had existing accounts to continue to place wagers on their online gambling sites.

With the recent Department of Justice's witch hunt that has taken place in the United States, and the constant investigations into online casinos and online casino payment processors, those Microgaming online gambling sites that are still allowing US players to remain their patrons have had to reconsider whether this is a good plan or not.

Many of the Microgaming online gambling operators came to the conclusion that it is simply not worth the risk of possibly losing their domain names in the future, and encountering trouble with the US Federal government. Those that have decided it is best to cut ties with their players that are located in the United States have announced that they will be doing so.

There is no official word yet, but there are some reports that Microgaming has made the decision that their operators should leave the US, and that the online casinos had no say in the matter. It does seem clear that the online casinos will make sure to pay out any funds owed to players in the United States, although this could take some time. The online casinos find themselves in much the same situation as the online poker sites that recently ran into trouble with the Feds, in that they do not have any payment processors that can process the payments at this time. They are, however, working on a solution to this problem.

At this time, there is also no official list of which sites have announced their closure for US residents, or have already shut their doors in the US, although reports show that the list of online casinos includes those in the Fortune Lounge group of online casinos, such as Platinum Play Casino, 7 Sultans Casino, and Royal Vegas Casino. The Jackpot Factory Group has also began closure for its US players.

The future of legalized online gambling in the US is still unclear, and could still go either way, even though at this time, it is looking somewhat bleak.