Mastercard Blocks Online Poker Payments

February 9 - Online poker players from the United States hoping to pay for their poker entertainment using Mastercard were in for a rude surprise this week after they learnt that the payment processor is moving away from the egambling industry.

Mastercard has taken measures to block US players to bring the financial group in line with the expectations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act signed into law by the Bush government in 2006.

While the law hasn't been fully implemented yet, having been delayed for six months from the beginning of the year, it is expected that Mastercard is seeking to prevent any future problems with the government.

In the past, Mastercard has tried to block US players, but has been unsuccessful in it its attempts. This time, it seems that the payment processor has managed to crack the code, so to speak, and players are experiencing problems when trying to pay through Mastercard.

As such, top online poker room such as Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker and Full Tilt have been forced to remove Mastercard as a payment option from their cashier links at their sites.

As the situation now stands, it seems that online poker sites will be unable to offer Mastercard. It is not known whether Visa will follow suit.

"Instead of changing the codes again, it appears that online poker sites will continue their operations without Mastercard as a deposit option," said an industry analyst.

US online poker players are still able to pay for their gaming entertainment through a number of alternative methods, including direct wire transfer, echecks and more.

It is thought that Mastercard made the move to block US players ahead of the Super Bowl, which represents one of the busiest times on the sports betting calendar.

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