AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker TITLE: Internet Gambling Bill- positions of Poker and Sports books DATE: 7:49 AM ----- BODY:

Since we did our column yesterday, more online gaming companies have emailed us and asked that we include them on this list. Below is a current list of operators who are leaving the USmarket, staying put, and undecided. It is important to note that we have not received any notifications from privately owned sports books who state they will be pulling out of the US market. A typical reply we have received from gambling operations who aren't caving in goes like this below: "The passing of this act through congress will have no immediate affect on operations at Poker.com. We are not planning to close the accounts of US players, and all funds within player accounts are perfectly safe and will always be readily accessible. It is worth noting that the act is primarily related to financial transactions between gaming businesses and banks and no penalties have been introduced to discourage individual citizens who wish to play poker online. As far as we are concerned our operations are 100% legal under international law and we follow all laws of the jurisdictions in which our operations reside." And a typical reply from someone who is complying goes like this: "Following the passing of the Safe Port Act, Bet365 has decided to no longer accept customers who are resident in the United States of America. "Over 96% of Bet365's business is from customers outside of the US and, as such, the decision will not have a material impact on the group's financial performance or continued growth. However, Bet365 regrets any inconvenience that this decision may cause and strongly retains the view that proper regulation rather than prohibition is the right way forward in respect of the gambling industry."

"Over 96% of Bet365's business is from customers outside of the USand, as such, the decision will not have a material impact on the group's financial performance or continued growth. However, Bet365 regrets any inconvenience that this decision may cause and strongly retains the view that proper regulation rather than prohibition is the right way forward in respect of the gambling industry."

"Please note that all non-US customers referred to date and in the future will continue to contribute to the partnership we have in place."

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