Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006

Title VIII of the Safe Port Act is also known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (or UIGEA). This title (found at ) prohibits the transfer of funds from a financial institution to an Internet gambling site, with the notable exceptions of fantasy sports, online lotteries, and horse/harness racing.

Online Poker and the UIGEA
In the 1990's poker began to gain even more popularity when people started playing it online. In fact, many people gained entry into the WSOP tournaments by winning online qualifiers, in the years that followed. Also, movies like Rounders, starring Matt Damon, came out in the late 90's, further popularizing the pastime of poker.

The period between 2003 and 2006 was when poker, and especially the WSOP, experienced a big jump in players. The 2003 WSOP featured 839 players, while the 2006 featured 8,773. It seemed like there was no end to poker's rise in popularity, until the UIGEA.

The UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) was passed on October 13, 2006. When that happened, it became harder for online poker rooms in the USA to operate. Although, there is still an ongoing debate about whether or not poker is gambling, since many consider poker games to be skill games.

In 2007, the WSOP Main Event entrants dropped to 6,358. That was probably a direct result of the UIGEA, since many players couldn't qualify or practice online as easily anymore. Thankfully, though, even with the UIGEA, it is clear that poker is here to stay.