A new law came into effect in the United States on October 13, 2006. It is called the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006” which the gambling industry immediately shortened to UIGEA and it was tacked onto the end of a law that was being rapidly pushed through Congress relating to the defense of American ports. The new law does not make it illegal to fund an online gambling account or to visit an online casino and play online casinos games. The law prohibits US Credit Card issuing Banks and Credit Card Companies from processing payments for online gambling sites for residents of the United States. As a result, the online casinos are no longer able to process Credit Card transactions. This applies only to US Residents. The rest of the world can happily still visit the online casinos and continue playing online casino games to their heart’s content.

However, the online casinos are still accepting other methods of payment via many of the cash transfer systems that are to be found on the internet. So there is no reason to stay away from your online casino or to stop playing your favorite online casino games. Other effects of this ban will soon be felt when some of the badly affected online casinos go out of business and the competition among the survivors heats up. Watch the bonuses grow in size and keep an eye open for a whole slew of new online casino games.