A new act, called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), was passed in 2006. It stipulated that it was illegal for banks and financial institutions to process gambling transactions from US residents in case they were linked to online gambling. This forced many online casinos to deny access to US citizens so that they avoid receiving penalties from the government. Now, several US states have decided to introduce new online gambling legislation, with the necessary regulations to license online casino activities for sites like PlayStar within the US.