Online poker players and providers alike can take a big sigh of relief as the start-date for implementing enforcement on the 1006 UIEGA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) that would punish online poker operators severely for allowing U.S. residents to play on their sites. All online gambling companies, online poker at the top of the list, were required to get everything in place to be able to have their systems identify and reject U.S. players attempting to join, and of course kick all existing U.S. customers of theirs off their site, by December 1, 2009.

But because of several bills on Congress’s desk now, waiting for review, including 2 from Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts (one of online poker and online gambling’s biggest and most vocal supporters), the Senate and House have voted to extend the Dec. 1 deadline by 6 months. That means poker sites have more time to prepare their systems for this crackdown, online poker players have more time to enjoy playing on their favorite sites, and most of all, it means that the online poker movement has more time to convince those in power to forget about the UIGEA and make online poker in the U.S. legal.