At a special Congressional hearing yesterday, the government heard a list of complaints directed against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act by the country’s Federal Reserve bank, financial institutions and players alike. Louise Roseman, Head of the Federal Bank, said that the UIGEA caused great confusion in its ambiguous language and lack of specific guidelines for banks to follow regarding offshore gambling sites.

A wide number of industry experts and interested parties made statements about why they do not believe the policies that were set out to be achieved by the UIGEA would work.

Wayne Abernathy, American Bankers Association's executive vice president of financial institutions policy and regulatory affairs said: “The path leads to an increased cost and administrative burden to the banks and an erosion in the performance of the payments system, but it will not result in stopping illegal Internet gambling transactions."