Two More Online Gaming Sites Fold To Washington State

Two More Online Gaming Sites Fold To Washington State - Image via Wikipedia

Washington state poker players have fewer to no options left when it comes to playing online. Washington state has aggressively upheld the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) a law which passed under President Bush.  UIGEA says it is illegal for US banks to handle the transactions from online gaming sites and their payment processors.

However, the law does not state it is illegal to gamble online or break down any penalties that could be assigned. The parameters of this law have allowed most states residents to continue with their online accounts.

Washington wrote state law that classifies online gaming as a Class C Felony, the strongest consequence to online gambling of any state yet written. Because of the aggressive tactic, PokerStars immediately withdrew account processing for anyone with a Washington state address in their database. Matchbook.com and VIP Sports announced last week they also will no longer service Washington State residents. The online companies sent account holders an email to let them know their accounts are now closed.

Matchbook.com wrote, “Thank you for funding your Matchbook account in the past, but going forward we will no longer process any withdrawals from your state. We request that you stop making deposits to your account from your current address. If in the future deposits are accepted again from your area, we will be sure to inform you. We apologize for this inconvenience.”

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Posted by Max Parshall on Jan 25 2011. Filed under Poker Legal News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.