The rise of Internet and video gaming that resembles the old days of video poker in South Carolina could be something the Legislature is forced to confront this year, a Charleston lawmaker said Friday.

State Rep. Leon Stavrinakis said there’s “kind of a new breed of machine out there” where purveyors are using the term “sweepstakes” instead of “payouts” to promote play in Internet cafes and other sites.

“I would not be surprised if some momentum started building on it and we ended up with a little bit of a battle,” he said.

The comments came after Charleston City Council this week moved to place a six-month moratorium on approving zoning, permitting and licensing for any new Internet cafes or arcades. The hiatus is designed to give the city time to explore the rise of gaming businesses where patrons can use a personal computer to log on and play video games that resemble electronic slot machines regularly featured at full-scale casinos.

You can play online poker in the privacy of your own home by clicking here !

Two such businesses have sprouted in the city in recent months, both in West Ashley strip malls. Both charge patrons for using Internet time on the dozens of PCs they have inside that can be linked to games tied to cash wins but referred to as operational sweepstakes.

The frequency of such sites has grown around the state in the past year, with police, zoning and court actions triggered in Greenville, Sumter, Georgetown and Beaufort. In some cases, magistrates have ruled the play does not violate the state’s anti-gambling laws.

For instance, a Georgetown County magistrate last year ruled machines that follow the sweepstakes model of play are compliant under state law, according to published reports.

South Carolina lawmakers have only recently worked to combat the effort.

Last week, state Rep. Phyllis Henderson, R-Greenville, offered a bill she said is designed to outlaw the use of casino-type video games in sweepstakes scenarios. She didn’t know how the bill might cover personal computer hook-ups in cafes but added the entire focus of her effort might have to expand to include regulating them as well.

“If we’re taking it all at once, we might as well,” she said Friday. State senators are behind an effort as well.

Stavrinakis, a West Ashley Democrat, said a difficulty for the Legislature is in writing a bill that targets certain aspects of the sweepstakes, which might be labeled as cloaked gambling, while at the same time not affecting other areas, such as sweepstakes offered by grocery store chains.

Video gambling became illegal in the state in 2000, but various efforts have been made to bring the games back since then, in different forms.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/jan/28/state-may-tackle-internet-gaming/

The Catawba tribe, South Carolina’s only federally recognized Indian tribe, have filed a suit against the state stating that they should be allowed to offer gambling on its reservation. The state only allows gambling boats to operate off the coast at the moment. It was in 2005 that state legislators passed the Gambling Cruise Act, which set rules and regulations for gaming ships that are allowed to operate three miles off the ship’s coastline.

Chief William Harris argued that gaming is crucial for the tribe, “Native Americans suffer disparate treatment, but the law is supposed to mean we do not get treated differently by the government because of our race, the color of our skin or our unique beliefs, customs and culture.” According the last consensus the Catawbas’ per capita income was $11,000, and unemployment on the reservation was more than double that of South Carolina.

You can play online poker in the privacy of your own home by clicking here !

Plans for the casino would include two hotels with 750 rooms and a 220,000 square foot gaming facility. It’s also estimated that the casino would bring more than 4,000 permanent jobs. York County would see nearly $260 million in annual economic activity, while the state would reap $100 million in annual gaming fees and about $9.8 million in sales and income taxes.

Representative Bakari Sellers (D) of Denmark has proposed a gambling bill across South Carolina in hopes of having a discussion on the topic when the legislature reconvenes in January.

I have stated in the past that a casino in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina could be a huge success. The old mall site  on Highway 17 business has stood empty for more years than I can remember and would be a perfect place to have one. Plenty of access, the Convention Center right across the street and the Atlantic Ocean only a few blocks away.

Having a casino in the county would bring in some much needed jobs that pay well. And the state would capitalize on it by earning millions in tax dollars. That is tax revenue that only cost those who use the facility and not anyone else. Millions are bet every weekend illegally in South Carolina on sports, so why not make it legal and get the tax money. All the hotels would probably be packed year around too which would help create more year round jobs and sales taxes too.

You can play online poker in the privacy of your own home by clicking here !

We already have the lottery which is nothing but a state run gambling service of sorts, and don’t forget about the casino boats that take off from Little River.

This is a free country is it not, so is it not time to give adults the freedom to gamble and play cards in a land based casinos too?

The proposed bill would allow each county to decide whether or not to allow gambling. Rep. Sellers believes statewide gambling could bring in an average of 40,000 jobs and $1 billion in revenue.

Read more here: Statewide gambling initiative should come up in January session

Yesterday I sent off a letter by way of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to the Governor here in South Carolina to try and  explain that I want the right to play poker from the comfort of my own home. Readers here at Carolina Gambler can do the same by simply click here. It only takes a few seconds and the letter reads as follows:

Dear Governor Haley,

The U.S. Congress is considering legislation to license and regulate
online poker. As a resident and voter, I urge you to please support these
efforts and to recognize the tremendous benefits to consumers and to our
state’s economy.

As you know, gaming oversight has traditionally been the prerogative of
the state governments. The current federal bills (H.R. 2366 and H.R. 1174)
honor this and give the states the opportunity to opt out of the federal
system. However, I strongly urge you to allow my fellow adult citizens and
me the opportunity to participate in the regulated marketplace. These
bills will create jobs for our state and bring in millions of annual
revenue which is being lost today because no federal regulatory system
exists. Further, these bills will establish strong consumer protections
and give law enforcement the tools it needs to enforce against unlicensed,
unregulated operators.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh and former Homeland
Security Secretary and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge say it is time for
the U.S. to license and regulate online poker and are supporting federal
efforts to do so. Please keep in mind that, as a poker enthusiast, I
encourage a competitive marketplace for Internet poker. I welcome a
variety of entities to be eligible for Internet poker licensure,
including: tribes, state lotteries, pari-mutuel racing, commercial gaming
companies, and others who meet appropriate suitability requirements. By
allowing for a competitive market, we can ensure the best consumer product
and also ensure the greatest amount of revenue for our state. If you have
not done so already, I urge you to please read H.R. 2366 and H.R. 1174.
You will discover that these are great bills for our state.

I respectfully ask for your support.

Sincerely,

Earl Moore

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that FullTilt Poker was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme. ”Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. “Not only did the firm orchestrate a massive fraud against the U.S. banking system, as previously alleged, Full Tilt also cheated and abused its own players to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Investigators are saying that FullTilt used over $400 million of online poker players funds to pay board members, including well-known professional poker players Chris Ferguson and the brother of Annie Duke, Howard Lederer. Authorities say that in March the company had only $60 million left in its bank accounts. This is well short of the $390 million it owes to players, including myself.

Transferring funds in connection with online gambling became illegal in 2006 when former President Bush signed into law the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), stripping away the freedom of Americans to spend their money in online poker rooms.

I personally feel that players will never receive the monies that are owed them from FullTilt Poker. This is all the more reason that online poker should be made legal. If the government were to regulate it American citizens would be protected from cases like this happening again. With regulation and taxation would come many jobs and much needed revenue for the states and the Federal Government without raising taxes on anyone that doesn’t play.

Don’t be one to sit idly by and think your voice doesn’t matter, speak up for your rights. Players and those who believe in our freedoms can tell President Obama to protect consumers, create jobs and generate revenue by licensing online poker by clicking here.

It wasn’t too long ago that I published an alert from the Poker Player Alliance asking folks to connect with their Congress members and asking them to support online poker and H.R. 2366.

This bill would restore online poker rights by allowing licensed companies to offer Internet poker with real-money play to U.S. residents. Readers can read that alert by clicking here.

Congressman Tim Scott (R) from South Carolina has made the following reply:

Dear Mr. Moore:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me to express your support for legislation that licenses Internet poker in the United States. I always appreciate your input and the opportunity to address your concerns.

As you already are aware, H.R. 1174, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, would require internet gaming operators to apply for licenses through the Treasury Department and would make online gambling officially legal. In return, these operators would agree to be heavily regulated. This bill has been referred to the House Financial Services, Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce Committees. In addition, H.R. 2366, the Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011, would establish a program for State licensing of Internet poker, allowing states to opt out however if they do not wish to participate.

As we move forward on a variety of issues, it is important that we always consider the federal government's proper role and scope. I am an ardent supporter of the Tenth Amendment and believe that the regulation of gambling should be left to the states. Gambling remains a divisive issue and is best regulated at the state and local level.

Again, thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on this important issue. If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of my staff. For more information from Washington, please visit my website at www.timscott.house.gov and subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter.

Sincerely,

Tim Scott
Member of Congress

Readers of Carolina Gambler can visit Congressman Scott’s Face Book page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/RepTimScott?sk=wall and ask him to support Americans freedom to play and fund online poker and gaming.

Editors note – The 10th Amendment states : “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a longtime online poker supporter, has criticized the governments latest crackdown on Internet poker. Owners of three of the largest Internet poker companies, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars have all been charged with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in what is now being called “black Friday”. Like him or not, Rep. Frank has spoken out against the UIGEA since it was attached to the Port Securty Bill and signed into law in October of 06.

Rep. Frank has told The Hill congressional newspaper about the crackdown, “What an incredible waste of resources.” The senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee goes on to state, “Go after the people responsible for empty houses, not full houses. I’m not saying violate the law but to give this priority in law enforcement over some other things I think is a terrible idea and I think the administration is wrong on this.”

In my opinion, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars have always strived to be fair and honest in all dealings with players (I won’t get into my thoughts about Absolute Poker in this article). I don’t think they would do anything to seriously ruin chances to be in the U.S. market when poker becomes regulated (and it will be one day). Would it be fair to say that Mr. Frank thinks no serious crimes were committed by the poker sites too?

You can play online poker in the privacy of your own home by clicking here !

Rep.Frank has been trying to repeal the UIGEA since it passed in 2006, calling it “exasperating.” Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), inserted it into a “must pass” Port Security bill to win votes from the religious right in a future campaign.

It is good to see that Rep. Frank is still speaking out for online poker, but anyone that believes in our freedom to play and fund online gaming should speak out as well. I encourage everyone to contact their lawmakers and voice their concerns. One way to accomplish this is by clicking here to join the PPA. We do not need the government telling adults what they can and cannot play online, be it poker or any other type of game.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has announced that both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars received their domain names back from DoJ. It’s also said that all player funds are completely safe and will be refunded to American players. (American players are now able to log into their accounts on both sites again.) The full statement from PPA can be read by clicking here.

Source – TheHill.com

Shocking news for poker players throughout the United States today. Owners of three of the largest Internet poker companies, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars have all been charged with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that was signed into law by former President Bush in October of 06.

Not only that, but all their domain names have been seized and charges of money laundering have also been filed. Court documents show that prosecutors  are seeking to recover at least $3 billion from the companies. The laundering charges are due to the poker sites directing gambling profits to online shell companies that appear legitimate to banks processing the payments.

The page that appears at the sites now. Click picture to enlarge.

At the moment there is a warning page when people attempt to visit the home pages of the sites explaining that the F.B.I has seized the domains pursuant to an arrest warrant.The page also goes on to say that “It is also a federal crime to knowingly accept, in connection with the participation of another person in unlawful Internet gambling, credit, electronic fund transfers, or checks.” A copy of the full indictment can be read by clicking here.

I can report that while attempting to withdraw funds I get an error and am no longer able to do so.

Will this be an end to online poker as we here in the US know it? Only time will tell, but I am afraid that it may be for the time being. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has stated that it will be providing updates as soon as possible and I will do my best to keep readers of Carolina Gambler informed.

You can play online poker in the privacy of your own home by clicking here !

Many lawmakers have attempted to repeal the UIGEA since it has been in place and most Americans can agree that the government should not dictate how American adults spend their money while in the privacy of their own homes. Regulation and taxation would bring in millions of dollars in much needed revenue. However, many of those same people put the same politicians back into office that support keeping the UIGEA as the law of the land.

Playing an American pastime on the Internet for real money should not be a crime. Make sure to let your lawmakers know that online poker should not be illegal. Readers can also join the Poker Players Alliance and have their voice heard by clicking here.

Source: Reuters.com -Internet gambling sites owners charged with fraud

According to reports at NBC Washington News, Washington D.C. has now become the first jurisdiction in the United States to legalize online gambling.

Permitting online gambling was part of a 2011 budget and the 30-day period for Congress to object expired last week. D.C. Council member Michael A. Brown authored the provision. Brown stated that “There was really no clear law that said we could not do this.” With a population of under a million people, he feels that the new gaming revenue will bring in about $13 million through fiscal year 2014.

The Director of the DC Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board, Buddy Roogow says, “We would make these games available at certain locations that might be similar to social atmospheres in taverns, hotels if they’re interested.” Federal law prohibits interstate gambling, so technology will be in place to bar residents in states from entering the online gaming site that will be in place. “You don’t have to live here, but you have to be here,” said Roogow.

There are many states that have proposed gambling laws that would legalize online gambling, but none have been successful to date. Perhaps this will lead state politicians to opening their eyes though and see that online gambling regulation can be a good source for extra income. Isn’t it time that the government stops telling adults what games they can and can’t spend money on while playing on the Internet?

Gaming company Intralot  has a contract with the D.C. and the plan is that games will be available to play in June.

You can play online poker in the privacy of your own home by clicking here !