Washington State - If you have an itch for online poker, the State of Washington has a new incentive for you to save your money. A new law states, as of Wednesday, it is illegal to gamble on the Internet.

But what many people may not know is online gambling has always been illegal. Poker is played by over 70 million Americans and a majority of them play online. Leach’s bill would make it illegal for credit card companies to allow their customers to fund their accounts at online gaming sites which covers poker, sports books, horse racing, and casino sites. Goodlatte’s bill would take legislation a step further and force credit card companies and other financial institutions to report any of these transactions to the government.

The more disturbing part of Goodlatte’s bill is that they would also force your internet service provider (ISP) to deny their customers access to off-shore gaming sites. Legalizing online poker would generate tax revenue and allow online gaming sites to set up a base of operations in America, thereby creating jobs.

Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada) recently told Bloomberg News, “It doesn’t look like you can ban it. If it is being done offshore, why not bring it to the U.S., where it can be regulated?”

Some people are all for it. “It stops all the little kids, eight year olds from getting their parent’s credit cards and setting up accounts,”. But to others the law doesn’t make sense. “I think it’s stupid. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to gamble online if you can gamble at a casino that’s right here in the State of Washington”

You make your own ideas.