Merge Poker to Stop Taking New US Players Through Month of June

The Merge Poker Network has halted new US signups through the month of June as it works to incorporate new payment processing platforms and add more customer service agents. 

While the network could begin accepting new US players as early as the end of June, the network may extend this policy through the summer depending on how quickly it can get new processing in place. 

Merge Poker has been one of the few remaining online poker networks that still caters to the US market following the indictments of PokerStars, Full Tilt and UB.com on April 15.  Those three companies were forced to exit the US market, causing a mass exodus of players to join Merge. 

To put this in perspective, year-over-year growth at Merge is 145 percent.  This has resulted in a backlog of payouts.

Payment processing for US players currently is limited and capped as to prevent the so-called “massive financial black hole” that ultimately resulted in the indictments of Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com on money laundering charges. 

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher