Today the USA is the country which cannot boast about free access to online casino gambling. We all know the reasons and it is casino bill UIGEA which was passed in 2006 by American Congress. This decision, made by U.S. authorities, influenced the whole process of the future development of this sphere. Certainly, this even couldn’t stay unnoticed for gamblers as well as for owners of the sites. U.S. online casinos went through a difficult period, and today before starting to gamble, it is necessary to be aware about the consequences of the passed bill.

So what is the bill UIGEA about? Certainly it doesn’t prohibit the activity of gambling sites in general, but it lays over certain restrictions. I have already told, that they first of all concern money transactions. Since 2006 U.S. online casinos as well as financial institutions have been prohibited to accept payments from gamblers and transfer money to the accounts. Certainly, such restrictions made the process of gambling rather inconvenient and difficult. The operation of gambling sites remains possible only thanks to the fact that the majority of them is situated at offshore territories. They are not under the jurisdiction of the USA, but still they have to follow the rules, as the shares of many companies are traded openly at the stock markets. Certainly, the way out was found and that’s why I want to tell you about this solution and all other consequences of the bill.

First of all, it definitely influenced U.S. online casinos, which were powered by several different large software developing companies. After the bill was accepted, many of them made a decision to leave the marker, as the authorities stated, that the punishment would be 5 years of imprisonment or $10.000 per every gambler. It was enough for many software developers, who decided not to take such risks. Microgaming, Cryptologic and Playtech were the most famous providers, who closed the doors in front of American casino players. Undoubtedly they suffered huge losses and many of them even had to sell some gambling sites to the providers, which remained active at the territory of the USA. Among them we see today RTG, Rival and Vegas Technology, which managed to reach a high level of service and provide with the best gaming experience. The same situation is in poker sphere, though American gamblers still continue to play the game but at another poker rooms.

Anyway, those who want to play online casino games, they continue to do it, though they had to change the site. In spite of the legislative system, U.S. gamblers may play slot machines, poker, blackjack and all other games with the exception of several states, such as Kentucky, for example, where the government turned to be less friendly toward the gambling sphere.

Another disappointment, connected with the bill UIGEA, was the restriction of deposit methods. Without any doubts the majority of banks had to cancel money transfers between gamblers and online casinos in the USA. Credit cards was the sphere which suffered a lot. The majority of credit card companies, including Visa and Mastercard, which was the most favorite way for many players, stopped making the transactions. The only company which remained was American Express. However, besides the credit cards, there are another popular solutions, such as echecks and e-wallets. Many of such firms had to attract the third party, what leads to additional expenses, but still it is a good way to enjoy playing popular games with real money. Click2Pay, PayPal, ewalletXpress are the most commonly used banking options today and you are welcome to choose one of them.