Online poker is okay in the U.K. but not in the U.S. because of a difference in political structure. In the U.S., politicians are funded by private companies and organizations who donate large sums of money to empower the candidates that they want in power. The current politicians in power in the U.S. have friends that donate money to them who control the horse racing industry. These people feel that online poker is cutting into their gaming profits.

This, combined with the current government thinking that their lottery profits were also in jeopardy, prompted the decision to outlaw the game. This is supposed to force bettors to gamble on the horses and lotteries instead.

In the U.K., the government is a parliamentary system with representatives from different areas. The governments don’t make choices based on what their benefactors would want. Instead, they have recognized the potential of regulating and taxing the industry.