Chatter among popular internet poker forums has been that the Kentucky ruling regarding online poker has begun to be enforced at Cake Poker. It seems Cake Poker is no longer allowing players with Kentucky IP addresses to log onto their servers. Players in the state are reporting that they are still able to log into other sites such as PokerStars and FullTilt but as of this morning, they can no longer open their Cake software.
It is unknown if it is merely a coincidence or if Cake is the first to go along with the new regulation governing players from that state. At first, players thought that the site was going through some type of updating but as they kept continuing to log in, they were greeted by a message that said:
"You are trying to use the application from a location that prohibits gaming activity. It is illegal to wager from this location."
Players fearful that this precedent could cause other states to follow suit have banded together behind their Kentucky counterparts. One even went so far as to email Cake Poker customer service and below is the response they received:
"Thank you for your email. Due to recent events in the Commonwealth of Kentucky we will no longer be accepting any players from the state of Kentucky. I can confirm this applies for all players from Kentucky. Any funds in your account will be cashed out, any RakeBack due has been paid into your account as well as the value of any outstanding tournament tickets. We will now cashout your funds or you may transfer them to a non Kentucky account if you so wish. Thank for your custom at CakePoker and best of luck for the future."
One can take this response to be Cake's official stance on the matter. Poker players everywhere are hopeful this instance is isolated and will not spread out to other states.
PokerStars on the other hand, is steadfast that they are doing nothing wrong and have no plans to alter operations. In a statement, PokerStars said:
"We are currently analyzing the situation and rules regarding UIGEA. While we cannot provide a statement on the situation at this point in time, we would like to reassure you that all funds held with PokerStars are completely secure. Player deposits are held in a separate bank account so that they remain completely isolated from all other aspects of the business. In regards to the Kentucky case, as this case is ongoing, we are limited in what we can say. All we can do at this point is confirm our belief that PokerStars is not breaching any laws in providing our service to residents of Kentucky. We cannot comment on the reasons other sites have taken a particular action. As there is ongoing legal action in this case, we cannot discuss this any further at this time."
This is a breaking story and more information is expected in the coming days. AintLuck.com has not received an official statement from anyone at Cake Poker yet. AintLuck.com is not sure if this is also affecting other poker rooms on the Cake poker network such as RedStar Poker, CardSpike, and PlayersOnly.
Source: 2+2 Forums
