Most real-money online poker players in the United States are familiar with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which puts limitations on online gambling within the United States. However, not many were aware that the act did not officially go into effect until this month. June 1 marks the date in which banks and other financial institutions are officially responsible for complying with the act.

How will this act affect real money poker players on the web? Fortunately, not much. According to Steve Kenneally, VP of the American Banking Association, most banks and financial institutions have already been complying with the terms of the UIGEA since it went into effect in January of last year.

John Pappas of the Poker Players Alliance debunks rumors that this month marks doomsday for online poker in the United States. He says, “Many people believe that any ill effect of the UIGEA has already been felt over the last four years. While I can’t make any guarantees, I do have a sense that this will be more of a blip on the radar screen than a catastrophic event, as some may have predicted.”

Only time will tell if the official enforcement of the UIGEA will affect the real money online poker scene and force all US players to revert to playing free poker. However, the outlook doesn’t look too gloomy. Poker activists continue to try to get the UIGEA overturned.