The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to interpret a law prohibiting people from using phone lines to make bets in such a way that they say online poker is illegal too. I personally think it's a pretty stupid and unenforceable and the federal government should figure out how to regulate it and be done with it. FFS I can drive 20 minutes and play poker in one of two casinos if I wanted to. I have no problem with the government taking a cut from the casinos. They have more important things to do than screw with millions of online poker players. Just make sure you pay your taxes. Besides, just because they've chosen to interpret the law this way doesn't mean it would ultimately hold up in a court of law.