NEW YORK (Reuters) - October 3, 2006 - Last weekend, when the U.S. Congress passed a bill making it illegal for banks and credit-card companies to make payments to Internet gambling sites, a legion of online gamblers were sent scrambling to find new ways to place their bets.

The lack of easy access to Internet gaming sites may deter some casual gamblers who have been turned on by the recent explosion of poker but according to online gamblers, and those who help treat gambling as an addiction, people who are hooked will find a way to bet, legally or illegally.

Site operators -- such as Britain's PartyGaming Plc <PRTY.L>, Sportingbet <SBT.L> and 888 Plc <888.L> -- on Monday said they would likely pull out of the United States as a result of the new rules.

"And just like that, comes the end of an era in my life," remarked EVPlus, an online gambler who claims to have won over $13,000 playing poker over the past year on sites like PokerRoom.com.

Online players have preyed on casual, less skilled players.

"I make money off of the idiots who watch one poker tournament on ESPN2, borrow their mom's credit card, and tank $100 over the course of 10 minutes," said EVPlus, a blogger on MySpace who describes himself as a 30-year-old male from Pittsburgh. He did not respond to e-mails.

"The only players left are those people who are wiring money to the Cayman Islands or Canada ... What casual player does that?" he said in a post.

PLAYING THE GAME

The bill, which does not contain provisions for preventing or treating gambling problems, looks to be more focused on keeping gaming revenue within U.S. borders, anti-gambling activists said.

"What this bill doesn't do is actually help anybody that does have a problem with gambling on the Internet. It just creates an administrative barrier," said Keith Whyte, executive director of National Council on Problem Gambling.

Although hurdles are being thrown up to thwart online gambling, the betting industry shows few signs of slowing. Casino gross gaming revenue has nearly doubled over the last 10 years to over $30 billion last year, according to the American Gaming Association.

ALL IN

For Mike Osborne, new legislation comes too late but, he admits, wouldn't have made much of a difference.

The recovering gambling addict lost his home and family as he racked up over $3 million in losses, placing wagers of up to $30,000 on offshore betting sites.

"It was so easy to do it from the comfort of your living room," he said in an interview. "It's a very simple thing to get involved in and get in over your head."

Osborne has not gambled in over three years and is now executive director at Harbour Pointe, a center for gambling addiction in Baltimore that helped him get back on the straight and narrow.

Osborne and other anti-gambling activists say the legislation will do little to stop problem gamblers.

If the gambling sites do shut down, compulsive gamblers, like other addicts, will seek out a new way to gamble, even if it means doing something illegal, said Coleen Moore, resource development coordinator at Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, a pioneer in the treatment of gambling addiction.