The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma soon will announce the launch date of its international real money play poker, www. PokerTribe.com. The tribe and its software developer, Universal Entertainment Group, are working with foreign governments to finalize gaming licenses and international merchant processing banking. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express will be included among banking partners, as well as European banking partners.
Iowa Tribal Chairman Bobby Walkup said, “The Iowa Tribe plans to work with every country and their head of states to build a new type of government relationship between the government of the Iowa Tribe and international governments with their respective committees.”
Walkup added, “We have completed each phase thoroughly and precisely. The final phase is the most important for a successful launch with the real money play, which is why we are rescheduling our launch date.”
The free play site, www.PokerTribe.com, is available to U.S. residents except in Oklahoma, and to international markets. It offers poker, bingo and pull-tabs. The next phase will introduce more games and real money play for international markets, and also allow passengers on international flights and cruises to play at the online casino.
With the assistance of state-appointed arbitrator Judge Charles Chapel, the Iowa Tribe was able to satisfy the Oklahoma state government with the online poker concept/platform and gain federal certification in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The award stated using the internet to offer certain “covered games” under the tribe’s Class III gaming compact “is not in violation of previous and present state or federal law.”
Walkup currently is offering $50,000 in play credits to users who visit www.PokerTribe.com and create a user account for free play.
