Following a ban on Online Gaming, Sportingbet revealed its exit from the U.S. market would cost the company 210 million pounds sterling ($393 million dollars).

The internet gaming company left once lucrative US market last week. It sold its sportsbetting, casino and poker operations to Antigua-based Jazette Enterprises Ltd. on the day that President Bush signed a law that criminalizes funds transfers for Online gambling.

Sportingbet Chief Executive Andrew McIver referred to a decision by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to rush through the anti-gaming legislation tagged onto a Safe Port Act as “one man’s blind political ambition.”

PokerStars
The biggest company to announce that it will still do business with the U.S. is PokerStars. In response to the signing into law of the The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 the company stated:
“These provisions do not alter the U.S. legal situation with respect to online poker…. It is important to emphasise that the act does not in any way prohibit you from playing online poker. PokerStars believes that poker is a game of skill… Our business continues as before, open to players worldwide including the U.S… You may play on our site as you did prior to the act.”

PokerStars main banker is believed to be the Royal Bank of Scotland. PokerStars is a privately held company.

Neteller
Neteller, the leading internet money transfer business, has got a “wait and see” strategy. In a recent announcement to the London Stock Exchange the company stated:

“As stated in an announcement of 2 October 2006, the Company, in conjunction with its advisers, continues to monitor the progress of the Act and likely resultant regulations. The Company expects to have a clearer view of how financial services companies can comply and any possible resulting impact on its business as the regulations are drafted in the 270 days following the signing of the Act. In the meantime, the Company will continue to operate its business to minimise any potential adverse impact, maintaining existing customer and merchant support across all the markets it currently serves.

Neteller’s main banker is believed to be Barclays. Neteller is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

The following is the latest (as at October 14) list, for the benefit of readers, of internet gambling operations that have notified U.S. players that they can no longer accept their business due to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act:

21.com Casino - Same s/ware as 888.com.

32Red Casino - [MG]

50 Stars - [Ptech]

888.com Casino - [Random Logic]

Bet365 [Ptech]

BetDirect Casino - [MG]

BetFred Casino - Playtech Flash casino

Carnival Casino - [Ptech]

Casino Del Rio - [Ptech]

Casino King - [Ptech]

Casino Las Vegas - [Ptech]

Casino Tropez - [Ptech]

Club Dice Casino - [Ptech]

Coral Casino - No download Flash casino[Chartwell]

Dash Casino - [MG]

Geisha Lounge - [RTG]

Grand Aces - [RTG]

Hard Rock Casino - [Ptech]

Harrods Casino [Kismet]

Intercasino Casino - [Crypto]

Jackpots In A Flash - [MG]

Jackpot Joy Casino - Flash based. [Gamesys]

Joyland Casino - [Ptech]

King Solomons - [RTG]

Ladbrokes Casino - [MG]

Littlewoods Casino -[Crypto]

Magic Box - [Ptech]

Megasport - [Ptech]

Monaco Gold Casino - [Ptech]

Mummy’s Gold - [MG]

New York Casino - [Ptech]

Omni Casino - [Crypto]

One On One Casino - [Crypto]

Paddy Power Casino - Flash casino.[Wagerworks]

Piggs - [MG]

Planet Luck Casino - [Prop]

Ruby Fortune - [MG]

Sands Of The Caribbean Casino[Crypto]

Spin Palace - [MG]

Starluck Casino - [Prop]

Super Vegas Casino - [Boss Media]

Swiss Casino - [Ptech]

ToteSport Casino - [Ptech]

UK Betting Casino[Crypto]

USA Casino - [Ptech]

VC Casino - Flash casino [Chartwell]

VIP Casino [Crypto]

Virgin Casino - Flash casino.[Wagerworks]

William Hill Casino - [Crypto]

World Poker Tour Casino -Flash casino.[Wagerworks]

LONDON - Britain is thinking about bring in new legislation that will allow London-listed online gambling companies to move their headquarters to Britain.

A prominent newspaper in the UK has claimed to have seen documents in which the government said the move would provide Britain’s internet gamblers with “a safe, well-regulated environment.”

The paper also said that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport had been lobbying the Treasury to introduce a favorable tax regime for online gambling companies.

PartyGaming, which is the biggest London-listed (blue-chip FTSE 100 index) internet gambling company, is based in Gibraltar, as is 888 Holdings.

A few days ago, Congress passed a bill — the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (UIGA) — which will attempt to make existing anti-gambling laws easier to enforce against Internet gambling. On Friday 13th, President Bush is expected to sign UIGA into law.

As UIGA’s preamble accurately notes, “traditional law enforcement mechanisms are often inadequate” in this area. The online casino industry is operated almost entirely outside the United States, although about half of its patrons live in the U.S. Accordingly, getting direct jurisdiction over Internet gambling companies can be difficult. UIGA explores several alternative approaches.

UIGA was tacked onto the end of the SAFE Port Act - legislation focused on the separate, important subject of port security in an age of terrorism. Accordingly, it’s possible that some legislators voted for the bill simply because of a wish to ensure port security, rather than any special dislike for Internet gambling.

In this column, I’ll argue that UIGA’s approach is misguided: Regulating online gambling would be a far better solution than selectively banning it. And as I will explain, the ban is selective indeed.

What the Legislation Would Do

UIGA would prohibit both individuals and institutions - such as banks, credit card companies, and other payment providers — from knowingly accepting credit card payments, funds transfers, checks, and the proceeds of any other types of financial transactions made in connection with Internet gambling.

The Federal Trade Commission and other federal financial regulators would be responsible for enforcing this prohibition. There are also civil and criminal penalty provisions.

Separately, UIGA would also allow law enforcement officials to work with Internet providers to block access to gambling websites.

UK and European Casino guide, Safe Betting Choices. Our aim is to provide you with recommended casinos, the best online casinos offering great bonuses, and the optimum strategies to use when playing these internet casinos. There are a quite a few online casinos operating in UK pounds and EURO’s, the best of which are listed on here on Safe Betting Choices. All of our approved casinos are safe and trusted. The banning of online casinos in the USA will make the European and UK casino market far more interesting and competitive.