I'm transposing this from a post on 2+2. Feel free to look at the thread located at http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...t=all&vc=1

Anyways, the main issue with this whole bill is the process of extradition. With the new laws, the US finds CEOs of online poker companies to be committing a crime if they allow US players access to their real-money games. Because of this, the US is threatening to put these people on trial and hopefully get them locked up in jail.

However, its not that simple. The country where the Poker Room is being run must extradite these people in order for the US to try them. Lets take pokerstars for example. If the US wanted to put Lee Jones on trial in the US, they simply can't go in and take him. The UK (where pokerstars is housed) would have to agree to send Lee to the US. Common sense would tell you that the UK would most likely comply with this. However, "Internet Gambling is 100% legal in the UK and extradition requires that the act is illegal in both countries. That isn't the case here and I can't see in a million years a UK court allowing an extradition for something that isn't illegal in the UK. " (2+2). So it appears as if the US can do nothing about UK-based online poker rooms unless the UK makes online poker illegal.

Now we move on to smaller island nations such as Antigua. Antigua has basically already said "f** you" to the US's new laws, and they plan to house poker sites as usual. Because Antigua and nations like it will not extradite the owners of these poker rooms, the US can do nothing.

Anyway, in a nutshell -
"Summary: it looks like the four Kahnawake sites (Full Tilt, UB, Absolute, Pokerroom) will likely stay in business (to US customers), as will Bodog (Costa Rica) and WPX (Antigua). The publicly traded sites based in UK/Irleand have all pulled out." (2+2).

Theres no info on Stars, Paradise, or other privately owned UK sites yet, but it looks like this bill will be highly ineffective.

Lee Jones might run into a problem if he decides he wants to visit Las Vegas for the WSOP in 2007 though....

I dont want to be too explicit here but, quit fking whining about it until ur "login wont work" as sheets said.

Dog has not been extradited to Mexico. The case is still pending...

<H1>U.S. Gaming Prohibition Violates WTO Agreements</H1> WTO Has Ruled Against the U.S. in Past Cases Concerning Online Gambling

The United Kingdom is one of more than 60 nations in the world that passed laws to allow, tax and regulate online gaming, including poker, on its soil. It’s the first truly industrialized nation to do so, as well as the richest. And as member of the WTO with millions of dollars at stake, it will soon have to decided to try to take on the strongest nation in the world.

The WTO has already ruled against the U.S. for attempting to ban online gambling, and now that anti-online gambling legislation has made it through Congress, more WTO complaints will probably be filed. The U.K might find itself in that line. Read about the way it was squeaked through here, and what it means to online players here.

The WTO was set up to protect fair and free trade between its members, and it has ruled that it considers online gambling to be a product that should be freely traded. It’s hard to believe that the U.S. won’t face more lawsuits now that it has taken a stricter approach at curbing online gambling.

A precedence has even already been established.

Tiny Waves

In 1994, Antigua and Barbuda was one of the first nations of the world to embrace online gambling, and since then the little island nation has become a hub of online businesses who have embraced regulation. Antigua and Barbuda joined the World Trade Organization as a charter member in 1995.

So far, 30 companies are licensed by Antigua and Barbuda's Division of Gaming. The Division of Gaming constantly monitors its licensees and suspends licenses whenever it finds infractions. The rules that the Division of Gaming follows have roots in New Jersey. Frank Catania of Catania Consulting Group, Inc. wrote most of the regulations. He’s a former director of gaming enforcement in New Jersey.

Antigua and Barbuda’s book operators have historically faced prosecution from the U.S. Government. Three founding members of World Sports Exchange were indicted for fraud, racketeering and other things a few years ago. One of the members tried to fight the charges, but was found guilty and spent several months in prison. The other two members haven’t been back to the U.S. since.

The arrests and the United States's attempts at curbing online gambling prompted Antigua and Barbuda to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization in 2003. Antigua claimed that the U.S. systematically violated the WTO’s General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) by trying to stop its residents from using services offered by companies located in Antigua.

It took a year, but the WTO ruled in Antigua’s favor and struck down the U.S.’s appeals in 2005, writing that US had adopted "measures" that interfered with its obligation to provide free trade in betting and gambling services with Antigua and Barbuda.

Part of the U.S.’s reasoning that claimed it was in the right to stop online gambling was that it believes that online gambling is morally wrong. The appellate body ruled that the U.S. could not make that claim since it allows gambling on its shores.

To date, the United States has essentially ignored the ruling. The U.S. Trade Office has said that it would not ask Congress to weaken the gambling provisions that has been in place since the Wire Act became law in the late ‘60s, and has given Antigua and Barbuda the silent treatment with this issue ever since.

There’s no doubt that the size and economic power of Antigua made it easier for the U.S. to ignore WTO’s ruling. The future is hard to predict, but with so many dollars at stake, surely one nation will step up to the U.S. and try to again swing away at this issue. It just may be one of the strongest nations in the world and one of our closest allies.

dog sucks anyways.

Online poker is not going to change at all. A few sites might bail, but that won't change much, and everything should be the same. People really need to stop panicking.

What does the U.S. care about the WTO? It will stick with it's usual policy... if the WTO rules in favour of the US then great. If it rules against the US then it will simply ignore the ruling. Have a look at softwood lumber and Canada.

Good point. If you also look how long they took to go after him, it is clear there is some maneuvering going on.

I didn't know about the cop case, but I knew something was up. You cleared it up. I didn't know what he was being traded for.