Porn Poker Room: Latest Casualty of Struggling Economy
Apparently, porn can be sustained, but poker can not.
According to media reports, online poker room Playboy Poker (www.playboypoker.com) is planning soon to close its doors permanently. Gambling911.com was among the first to report the pending closure.
Customers of the room were recently sent e-mails announcing the closing.
The room, opeated by the American porn conglomerate that publishes porno mag Playboy, opened in 2006.
The room was licensed by and operated from the tiny Mediterranean island nation of Malta.
The room never took off, however, likely due to the fact that it did not accept paying customers from the USA.
The ban on American customers was because of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2006 that restricted online gambling by Americans.
The closing of the online poker room continues the bad luck that Playboy and its founder Hugh M. "Hef" Hefner have encountered when it chucks its porn roots and attempts to embrace gambling.
Playboy previously opened casinos in London, England and Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA but later closed them down.
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Thomas Somach, www.pokerhelper.com