Many leading poker pros have spoken out against the recent decision to pass the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the US.

Thor Hansen was typical of the responses many pros gave, praising the online version of the game that is no longer available to US citizens.

“There is no doubt that the internet did a lot of good things for poker. Poker became so big because of the internet, so it’s kind of sad for those of us who love the game,” he told Card Player.

Both Amir Vahedi and Sean Sheikhan told the publication that if internet sites had paid more money out to lobbyists and politicians, the current situation could have been avoided.

Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, which represents a number of poker professionals amateur players, said that passing of the law “came as a great shock to all”, adding that US poker players “will be hurt by this act of political trickery”.

Men Nguyen was one of the few players who was indifferent to the changes, claiming that it is neither good nor bad for poker, as in the end, “more people are going to go and play live action in casinos”.

When will poker be back online in the US? Only time will tell.

Poker celebrity “Amarillo Slim” Preston evaded a robber in the early hours of October 4th in an incident worthy of his soon-to-be released Hollywood blockbuster, recounts the Amarillo Globe News.

Mr Preston was forced to the curb by an assailant in a yellow car, who then quickly jumped out of his car and demanded money from him at gunpoint.

The poker star immediately shot his own car into reverse to evade the armed attacker and was shot at three times, before he escaped uninjured.

The attacker pursued Mr Preston several minutes by car before giving up on the pursuit, allowing him to call police.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attack.

A movie based on the unlikely life and memoirs of Amarillo Slim is in pre-production, set to star Hollywood actor Nicholas Cage.

Revenge is the implied motive of the man who drove his pickup truck into the front doors of the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming hall, according to reports by the Miami Herald.

Country Walk, Florida resident Leonard Marrero, 39, allegedly had started gambling at 10 am and left the casino at 8 pm when he got into his shiny new Ford F-150 and drove the car into the Miccosukee building ahead of him.

Eyewitnesses report that he left the Miami-area casino angry and muttering about his $10,000 in losses that week.

Marrero was quoted on the police report to have said: “That’s what they get, they got what they deserved.”

He added: “I’ve been here all week and got robbed by Miccosukee.’‘

Bond for bail was set at $26,000 and the crash will cost more $20,000 in damage repair.

Reported charges include aggravated battery, assault, criminal mischief, negligence and reckless driving.

Online gaming has taken a financial hit worldwide after new US legislation prohibited citizens in the country from using funds on the sites.

It is estimated online gambling companies have lost over half of their value on the London Stock Exchange since the decision by the US congress was made.

Businesses such as 888, the largest web-based casino, have indefinitely discontinued services in the US. PartyGaming, another large gambling website, says that it will play a similar hand once the bill is officially passed.

Commenting on the new laws, Adam Pliska, general counsel of WPTE, a company responsible for the poker boom over the past few years due to the introduction of televised games, says that the new law does not mark the end of online poker.

“The Justice Department has been very clear that it believes online gaming to be illegal in the United States and our policies have been always been tailored accordingly,” he said.

CEO and founder of WPTE, Steve Lipscomb, agrees that the industry will continue to flourish.

He said: “WPTE remains committed to growing the domestic poker market through traditional franchise opportunities like consumer products, sponsorship and events.”

InterCasino has unveiled a variety of entertaining new guest slot machine games.

The line-up changes regularly, meaning players who love the slots can keep returning to indulge their passion.

Currently playing is Touchdown, a football based 20-line slot game that has proved extremely popular with the punters.

The game offers a unique bonus feature, which allows players 15 free spins, during which time all winnings are tripled.

The prizes are potentially enormous, with one player making $92,155 recently while another raked in $65,230.

As well as the guest games, InterCasino offers a huge range of regular slots, with players offered the choice of standard and progressive jackpots.

There are also a number of practice machines to have a go at to make sure you have the hang of it before playing for real money.

Several online gamers have been hit by a spate of phishing scams which target Neteller users.

The online money and payment transfer service has this week warned consumers of a new scam designed to target their funds.

The site claims a criminal has set up a fake Neteller site where customers are told a company representative will call them up to check their details.

As with many phishing scams, customers are encouraged to enter their account details on a fake website.

Neteller is now urging customers only to use the official domain name when getting in contact with the firm.

Soon online gamers need no longer worry as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7 is expected to offer an advanced phishing filter.