Pennsylvania submits a bill which could lead to a Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement

[Shells]

Earlier this month, a bill had been submitted by Rep. George Dunbar to the Pennsylvania legislature to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for online poker players. MSIGA is the pact that allows states that regulate and tax online poker to share players. It began in 2013 with New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, followed by Michigan in 2022 and West Virginia last year. The lawmakers have thirty days to compile a report and then submit an application to the MSIGA.

This could be good news for online poker in the state of Pennsylvania once the bill passes and the application has been accepted.

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Submits Bill to Join Multi-State Online Poker Compact​

 

[okeedokalee]

Hopefully all of the players in the U.S. will be free to participate online soon

 

[fundiver199]

Would be even better, if it was multi-country rather than multi-state, so that americans could again play legally on international sites against players from the rest of the world

 

[SpanRmonka]

How many Pennsylvanians do we have here on CC? Good luck to them, and hope they get to play soon!!

 

[Dzill_230]

This is very good news. Especially in the world where 888 may exit the American market. If I'm not mistaken, 888 did not have much success trying to enter the gambling space with Sport Illustrated as partners. They focused more on betting rather than poker.

 

[rachelle2291]

There is so much I do not understand about this stuff. ACR seems to operate just fine in all the States. They are an unregulated site is what I hear them described as. Well does this mean they do not follow any laws or pay any taxes? If this is the case how can they get away with it? I would like to not pay my taxes but I know there would be consequences. What are the negative consequences to them for being unregulated?

 

[Shells]

There is so much I do not understand about this stuff. ACR seems to operate just fine in all the States. They are an unregulated site is what I hear them described as. Well does this mean they do not follow any laws or pay any taxes? If this is the case how can they get away with it? I would like to not pay my taxes but I know there would be consequences. What are the negative consequences to them for being unregulated?

If you have a couple minutes, here is an article from PokerNews that helps explain a little of what it means to play on an unregulated online poker site. (This article was posted a few years ago but I believe the content would be the same today)

Should You Play Online Poker on Unregulated and Unlicensed Sites, or Not?

Our team debates whether or not players should feel comfortable and safe playing online poker at poker rooms that are unlicensed and unregulated.

www.pokernews.com

 

[rachelle2291]

If the DOJ decides to shut them down how would this work? What if ACR decides they don't want to be shut down in the US? Does the DOJ have the ability to block the site so players couldn't even log on if ACR does not want to go along with it? I wonder if the US government actually has the ability to block them?
If so why haven't they done so? This article delves into the players perspective in whether you should or should not play on an unregulated site. What I am interested in here is more the perspective of the poker sites. Why be regulated if you suffer no consequences from not playing by the government rules? Are the regulated sites paying a bunch of taxes to a bunch of governments and the unreg sites aren't? If so how the heck are the regulated sites going to be able to compete long term?

 

[ADRI7HO]

All such news is to be welcomed, which means that the online poker game is available to as many players as possible.

 

[Falzee]

That would be a blessing in disguise rather than have to pay homage to Pennsylvania alone. I can't even add pokerstars free account ( that we used to play on) to another computer, since no matter what you type in, it reverts to the Pennsylvania Mt. Airy website.

 

[skaterick]

let's hope more states keep joining the MSIGA pact .

 

[Poker Orifice]

If the DOJ decides to shut them down how would this work? What if ACR decides they don't want to be shut down in the US? Does the DOJ have the ability to block the site so players couldn't even log on if ACR does not want to go along with it? I wonder if the US government actually has the ability to block them?

You have heard of Black Friday haven't you? This is exactly what happened with Pokerstars, Fulltilt, and AbsolutePoker/ULtimateBet

 

[fundiver199]

This article delves into the players perspective in whether you should or should not play on an unregulated site. What I am interested in here is more the perspective of the poker sites. Why be regulated if you suffer no consequences from not playing by the government rules? Are the regulated sites paying a bunch of taxes to a bunch of governments and the unreg sites aren't? If so how the heck are the regulated sites going to be able to compete long term?

Governments make it difficult to deposit and especially withdraw from unregulated sites, which makes it less attractive for people to play there. Not everyone wants to get paid out in crypto currency for example. Many also feel, its more safe to play on regulated sites, because then you can turn to a gaming authority in your own country rather than Costa Rica, if something goes wrong.

Here in sweden I can play on both regulated and some unregulated sites, and I vastly prefer the regulated sited, even though the regulation comes with serious drawbacks like no incentives or promotions. But for me at least this is outweighted by more game selection on the regulated sites (PokerStars) and the fact, I can have money in my bank account within usually 24-48 hours after making a withdrawal.

You have heard of Black Friday haven't you? This is exactly what happened with Pokerstars, Fulltilt, and AbsolutePoker/ULtimateBet

Those companies had assets like servers, offices and bank accounts in the US. The unregulated sites like ACR does not, and this is why, they have not been shut down. After all US law does not apply in Costa Rica, even if some americans feel, they are the owners of the world

 

[Poker Orifice]

Those companies had assets like servers, offices and bank accounts in the US. The unregulated sites like ACR does not, and this is why, they have not been shut down. After all US law does not apply in Costa Rica, even if some americans feel, they are the owners of the world

Pokerstars was also originally in Costa Rica but then moved to Isle of Man.
Absolute Poker was also not in the states... and pretty sure Tiltware wasn't either.

The DOJ seized the .com internet addresses

 

[MikeCarasone]

I hope Ct and all the states also make more attempts at proper legalization and legislation to bring poker back to all Americans to face the world. Hopefully have access to all the best poker sites