Microgaming Casinos Reportedly Exiting USA Market

The recent shutdown of several online poker sites inside the United States by the Department of Justice has had a ripple effect on many industries impacted by online poker, from television to live casinos. Reaction to the indictments of leading executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker has now also spread to the online casino world, where some operators are reconsidering their operations in the USA.

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One of the largest providers of online casino software is Microgaming. Traditionally, Microgaming casinos overwhelmingly supported USA players, giving gamblers from America the chance to play their favorite games at their sites. However, when the state of Kentucky seized some of the domain names associated with online casinos in 2008, a rift formed at Microgaming casinos. Some casinos pulled out of Kentucky, but others chose to leave the United States entirely.

It appears that the recent actions of the US government may have chased off most – if not all – of the remaining Microgaming casinos. According to a report at CasinoAdvisor.com, players and affiliates have been reporting that many Microgaming casinos have announced that they will no longer be taking play from American gamblers, with the change coming almost immediately. It seems as though the decision is coming from Microgaming itself, meaning that each individual operator was not able to make the decision independently.

“It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you all that all MG US facing brands are shutting down as of 12 AM,” CasinoAdvsior.com quoted one senior affiliate as telling his players. “I know some are concerned about withdrawing money and how this will affect payouts, the truth is right now I do not know."

While the departure of one of the leading online casino software providers is a blow to the USA market, American gamblers will still have options available to them when it comes to gambling online. Other providers like Real Time Gaming and Vegas Technology appear to be sticking with the American market. This is similar to the situation in online poker, where the Merge Network, Bodog, Cake Network and others have remained in the marketplace to service American poker players despite recent events.