More Poker Rooms Ban Washington Players

Poker fans in the state of Washington just can’t catch a break. Last year was the hardest yet for many American poker players, but none were hit as hard as those living in Washington. Not only were they subject to several funds seizures, but citizens in the Evergreen State also lost access to popular online poker sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt.

Unfortunately, it looks like 2011 is going to be equally rough for Washington residents that also happen to love online poker. Not that it’s much of a surprise; as late as September the state’s Supreme Court was putting a fine point on their stance on online poker by upholding a 2006 law that blatantly made playing cash poker illegal online. Just to be sure that players had gotten the message, state prosecutors followed that ruling up with a massive $8 million funds seizure the first week of January.

To add insult to injury, two more popular poker rooms – VIP.com and Matchbook.com – have closed their doors to Washington players. For their part, Matchbook.com hasn’t closed the players’ accounts completely yet, though they sent an email to all affected members notifying them that they would no longer be processing withdrawals. On the upside, not all the poker rooms that were involved in the earlier seizures have taken their frustration over the state’s actions out on its players. UB.com, for example, still accepts deposits from accounts located in Washington.

With New Jersey on the precipice of doing quite the opposite – legalizing online poker altogether for residents of the state – several sources have suggested that truly serious Washington poker fans may soon be making a pilgrimage to the East coast. Speaking of New Jersey…While Governor Chris Christie has yet to officially approve the state’s groundbreaking online poker legislation, he also hasn’t vetoed it. It’s been two weeks since the State Assembly passed the legislation. Since the bill will automatically pass into law after 45 days on Christie’s desk, it looks like online poker is going to become a reality in New Jersey without the Governor’s support or his opposition.

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