Online poker in the U.S. was indirectly affected by two recent incidents involving parties hoping to break into the market — PokerStars and the Iipay tribe.
Amaya, the [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/amaya-acquisition-signal-return-pokerstars-us/”]new owner of PokerStars[/geolink], are being investigated by Canadian authorities for possible trading infractions pertaining to company stock. It seems that shares of Amaya on the Toronto Stock Exchange jumped a bit high before the official announcement regarding the purchase of PokerStars took place.
While no blame of illegal activity or insider trading has been levied against Amaya, even the taint of suspicion does not look good when hoping to break into the market in either New Jersey or California. New Jersey gaming regulators have yet to act on Amaya’s application for an online gambling license, while California lawmakers [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/new-online-poker-bill-introduced-california/”]are preparing for another go-round[/geolink] regarding online poker regulation in the 2015 legislative session.
Again, Amaya has not been cited for wrongdoing. But any type of investigation certainly doesn’t help a company that is often referred to as a “bad actor,” even though Amaya didn’t yet own PokerStars when the site allegedly acted badly by remaining in the U.S. market post-UIGEA.
Woes of California Tribe
The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel in California were also dealt a setback when a federal judge ordered the tribe [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/california-files-lawsuit-vs-iipay-tribes-online-bingo-site/”]to stop offering online bingo[/geolink] to residents of the Golden State via the Desert Rose Bingo website. The tribe launched the game by proxy last month and have been [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/privatetable-com-gears-real-money-play/”]promising a roll-out of real-money online poker[/geolink] at their PrivateTable.com website.
However, that online poker launch has been [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/california-tribe-insists-online-poker-launch-bluff/”]delayed repeatedly[/geolink] and looks to be in store for even more delays considering a federal judge’s decision just days ago that went against the tribe from Santa Ysabel. The Iipay Nation felt that they were well within their rights under Class II of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, but the judge disagreed.
Since similar legal reasons are cited by Santa Ysabel with regard to their real-money online poker and online bingo pursuits, it seems unlikely that the Internet poker roll-out will happen anytime soon. The tribe will likely appeal the judge’s ruling regarding online bingo and hope to prevail in a court of appeals before attempting the launch of real-money online poker at PrivateTable.
No New Online Poker Sites … For Now
It appears that the current landscape of online poker in the U.S. will remain the same for awhile, at least for the time being. Players in New Jersey who were hoping to log on at a regulated PokerStars site will likely have to keep hoping, as it seems the state’s gaming regulators will not make a decision on Amaya’s application until a conclusion is reached with regard to the investigation of stock trading.
And the Iipay Nation, who were hoping to blaze a trail in the realm of regulated online poker in California, will have to continue those efforts in a court of law.
