If no one knows yet, the fed recently decided to enforce the UIGEA much more harshly including provisions forcing banks to take more accountability for the transactions coming in with penalties and audits if they think the bank is not doing enough. No you don't have to withdraw immediately, there is a specific provision in the bill that checks from the sites to you is safe. You are not in danger of losing the money already there.
What you are in danger from is the new regulations making it either extremely difficult or downright impossible to deposit. If this happens, even if you are a winning player who doesn't see the need to deposit, the biggest problem would be that other fish cannot deposit. As the worst players cannot deposit to play recreationally the marginal losers/break-even players will begin to become losers. As they can't deposit eventually it will only be the really solid good players playing poker. This is game over for poker as a profitable past time for the serious player. This doesn't take effect until January 19th, 2009 (the last day of the Bush administration) and banks cannot be punished for lack of enforcement until December 1st, 2009. But obviously the banks aren't going to wait until November 30th next year to put the regulations in place.
Following are the PPA press release and a PPA release on what you can do to fight it:
PPA Condemns Finalization of Internet Gaming Regulations
Calls on New Administration, Congress to Overturn Flawed Policy
WASHINGTON, DC. (November 12, 2008) –The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nation-wide, today expressed its extreme disappointment with the last minute finalization of the Unlawful Internet
gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) regulations regarding online gambling.
“Today’s action finalizes a truly bad public policy – one that even the banks and Federal regulators called unworkable in Congressional testimony,” said PPA Chairman and Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato. “However, the PPA remains optimistic that the new Administration and the new Congress will recognize the failures of UIGEA and will act swiftly in the New Year to overturn this flawed policy.”
In April of this year, representatives from leading banks testified before Congress about the “burdensome” and “unworkable nature” of the proposed UIGEA regulations. Even the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve expressed serious concerns about the ability to enforce UIGEA and its impact on our nation’s payment systems. Notwithstanding the skepticism about the efficacy of the UIGEA and the burden it would place on our already strapped financial sector, the Administration, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve dedicated time and resources to get the rules finalized as the first of many Bush Administration “midnight” regulations.
Fortunately, several members of Congress, such as House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, Senator Robert Menendez and Congressman Robert Wexler among others, recognize the untenable nature of UIGEA and have sponsored legislation to truly address the concerns over online gaming.
“We have strong advocates in Congress who recognize the importance of balancing individual freedom and responsibility with the protection of consumers as it relates to
online poker,” continued D’Amato. “As such, we believe that in the new political environment UIGEA will be overturned and effective licensing and regulation of online poker will be enacted.”
but I think the bigger problem (if I'm hearing right ) is that they are trying to make it illegal to gamble in the convert of my own home but i can go to any bar/deli and play video poker/
