Even after Black Friday, a number of offshore online poker sites and networks have continued to operate in the unregulated US gaming market. But slowly, states are starting to legalize and regulate online poker, including Delaware and New Jersey.
Most likely in an attempt to avoid clashing over legal matters, Merge Gaming have decided to exit these two states. No official announcement was made, but players from Delaware and New Jersey did get the following message:
Regrettably, we no longer offer online gaming services to members in Delaware (New Jersey). This decision was made after much consideration.
Due to the lack of a public announcement, some players in these states have expressed concerns over getting their money back. However, it’s worth mentioning that Merge have been one of the best US-friendly internet poker operations in regard to processing player withdrawals in a timely manner. In most cases, members of Merge sites have been receiving checks within 2-8 weeks.
But despite their reputation for being responsible with player funds, Merge can’t be too happy about giving up another share of the US market. They’ve already exited Washington D.C., Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada and New York. Even still, vacating Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada seems to be a good decision when you consider the legal ramifications that could arise for non-licensed, US-friendly operations that stay in these states.
Up until April 15th, 2011, when Black Friday struck, many offshore poker sites were unabashed while serving American customers. Full Tilt Poker’s owners especially seemed to act as if there was no chance that the US government would ever crack down, taking tens of millions of dollars from player funds along the way. But when the US Department of Justice did strike, it wiped out Absolute and UB Poker, forced Full Tilt to eventually change ownership, and cost PokerStars a lot of money. Given all of this, it’s no wonder why Merge have begun leaving regulated markets.