Back in 2005, blackjack tournament enthusiasts were beginning to have some very interesting online opportunities to compete at the game. Internet casino Global Player was first to market with true multi-player blackjack tournament software, and other competitors soon joined them. Online poker provider Ultimate Bet launched a full featured implementation of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour format of tournament play, featuring elimination hands and secret bets. The company is now far better known for a huge insider cheating scandal and a still-unresolved seizure of US player balances. A site called Blackjack21 created another tournament platform, and not long after launch, marketed its technology to other online casinos creating the 21GNet network. The network of online sites using the software grew to over 30 venues, and 21GNet managed a combined pool of players across those sites.

Then, the hurricane of online gaming in the US hit. The UIGEA law passed in 2006, signaling the US government's intention to stamp out the menace of online gambling. The law was controversial from the start, beginning with the clandestine way the bill was attached to an unrelated port safety bill on the last day of a congressional session. More importantly, the bill seemed to be fundamentally flawed, as it did not actually make online gambling a crime for anyone involved. Instead, the bill made it a crime to transfer money for the purpose of illegal internet gambling. The definition of illegal internet gambling was conspicuously absent in the UIGEA, and the focus, therefore, shifted to one of the few laws that would seem to make the activity illegal, the Federal Wire Act. Interpretations of the law varied, since the Wire Act explicitly applies only to wagers on sporting events. Regardless of the actual efficacy of the law, it had the intended effect, a chilling of the entire market in the US.

Fast forward to late 2011...

Finally, five years after UIGEA was signed into law, the other shoe dropped. In an opinion letter issued by the US Justice Department, the lingering questions about the Federal Wire Act are answered. The Act does NOT apply to other forms of gambling, but instead only applies to sporting events. Now the UIGEA would seem to have no teeth, since a state can explicitly allow online gambling for its residents, and no "illegal internet gambling" will be taking place for the UIGEA to apply.

In the months since the Justice Department bombshell, activity has been intense in several states of the US. For more explanation of the impact of the decision, see my article at Mississippi-Online-Casinos.com: Online Gambling in the US - It's Coming.

For the conspiracy-minded, it makes a lot of sense. The UIGEA might have been intentionally crafted to be eventually ineffective. Once the offshore market has been weakened, US casino companies can swoop in to provide online casinos with no need for a controversial gambling bill being debated again on Capitol Hill.

That's enough background and history. What is the current situation for US players interested in online blackjack tournament play? I expect we will soon have some opportunities for real cash play online, but in the meantime, we already have an interesting practice setting.