Black Friday – One Month Anniversary

It has been a full month since the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shut down three of the world's biggest poker sites: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, in what was quickly dubbed "Black Friday."

That was April 15, and the immediate effects were clear: confused gambling sites' operators, concerned online poker players, and yes, an immediate surge in shares of London-listed gaming companies (888, William Hill, and others).

Now, with a full month's perspective since April 15, we can look at what "Black Friday" has created for us in the Internet gambling world.

How devastating is this development for working online poker pros in the US?

That really depends a lot on a how much a player played live, how comfortable they are with live play, and their ability to now travel and have the roll/backing for live events.

Obviously it's a lot less devastating to players who play a lot of live poker or are at least comfortable and able to play a lot more live poker, but it's definitely going to be devastating to a lot of players who rely on online poker only as an income and can't transition to live for any of several reasons.

I know a lot of my friends are in a tougher spot than I am, but despite my other revenue streams and my ability to play a lot of live poker this will definitely have a negative impact on my income in the near future.

The future of online poker in the US - unknown.

The allure of European online poker companies - excellent, thanks you, with small and medium size operators getting a chance to show off their reliable sites and gain new customers.

Las Vegas and Atlantic City - not likely to get more visitors as playing online has become less attractive for US players.

US law - the move was not high in popularity, and might in fact help put in perspective the ongoing "prohibition" of online gambling in the 21st century USA.

Affiliates - some have long ago switched to non-US poker sites, and surely some are switching to other markets altogether, like dating and what not.

Players - cashouts are underway, so that's a big relief.