With the bill being signed and sealed just a week or two ago, some of the major gaming companies have already felt the impact of the loss of American custom and are subsequently reporting big drops in share value.
SportingBet, the company behind online poker giants Paradise Poker, have recently announced a massive 90% potential loss in sales as a direct result of the new legislation. And although they remain optimistic for the company's future, they can't help but notice that many of their European players are fleeing to those sites which are still allowing Americans to play.
Paradise Poker were one of the first sites to offer online poker and have since built a credible reputation as one of online poker's major forces. However, times are quickly changing and with names such as Bodog, Full Tilt and Poker Stars a current haven for American players, shares in Paradise Poker have dropped to a dismal 46.5p.
Similarly, Party Gaming, who were renowned for running the world's busiest site prior to the bill, suffered a 68% loss in custom just days after Bush put pen to paper. Removing their hit counter from the site's interface, Party Poker are cleary concerned about the drop in numbers and are keen to hold onto their loyal European players. However, as time goes by and people learn of the vast numbers attracted by other sites, these players will surely gradually begin to dribble away and head to where the grass is greener.
Yes, the future looks bleak for these companies, but they remain affluent and will surely find a solution to their problems. Whilst they pray for the Bill to be overturned, they will no doubt be looking at ways to ambush Europe and tap into that Asian market that, so far, has yet to be fully exploited.