The death of online poker? - TranceAddict Forums

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Posted by Renzo on Apr-16-2011 23:02:

The death of online poker?

quote:
In a major crackdown on online gambling, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office shut down three of the biggest Internet poker sites and charged the owners with fraud, illegal gambling and laundering billions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds.

The FBI said Friday it's indicting 11 defendants -- including the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker -- with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses. The feds also seized five Internet domain names used by the companies to host their poker games and issued restraining orders against 75 bank accounts in 14 countries used to process payments. The U.S. attorney's office is also seeking $3 billion in damages. The defendants could face maximum penalties of 30 years in prison $1 million fines.

Visitors to PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com and AbsolutePoker.com Saturday were met with this notice from the FBI declaring the domain names had been seized by federal authorities -- along with a reminder that illegal gambling is a federal crime.

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...bsolute-poker/1

Posted by Sushipunk on Apr-16-2011 23:04:

Yeah, some millionaire entrepreneur from the Gold Coast is ratting them all out. He got out of jail and everything

Posted by Ian on Apr-16-2011 23:08:

hardly, I can play sky poker anytime. and full tilt worked for me yest when I tried the site.

Posted by Lews on Apr-16-2011 23:09:

Read about this in the New York Times yesterday. Didn't hear about the Gold Coast guy, though. Fucking well played

Posted by Renzo on Apr-16-2011 23:10:

quote:
Originally posted by Ian
and full tilt worked for me yest when I tried the site.

Good luck playing on there today

Posted by Sushipunk on Apr-16-2011 23:11:

quote:
Originally posted by Lews
Read about this in the New York Times yesterday. Didn't hear about the Gold Coast guy, though. Fucking well played

His name is Daniel Tzvetkoff.

Posted by Domesticated on Apr-16-2011 23:13:

I have a couple of friends who are professional poker players, and they're really fucking upset right now, even though they've been playing physical tournaments for years. Pretty much everyone else in the friendship group is cheering because the poker kids might have to get real jobs like the rest of us.

Posted by Renzo on Apr-16-2011 23:13:

Seriously? I thought you were joking, Stuart.

What a crazy story.

Posted by enydo on Apr-16-2011 23:14:

Last I heard they had only seized the actual websites, and not the servers the services are run on. Did the actual poker programs themselves get shut down? People are going to be really furious about this, when the US does something like this they seize as much as possible, especially if there's money involved. I'm sure there are quite a few people with a good chunk of change wrapped up in several of those companies.

Posted by LAdazeNYnights on Apr-16-2011 23:15:

Had to have seen this coming a mile away. Was tough to predict when, I guess - but after Bill Frist's legislation a couple years back...

Posted by Ian on Apr-16-2011 23:21:

quote:
Originally posted by enydo
Last I heard they had only seized the actual websites, and not the servers the services are run on. Did the actual poker programs themselves get shut down? People are going to be really furious about this, when the US does something like this they seize as much as possible, especially if there's money involved. I'm sure there are quite a few people with a good chunk of change wrapped up in several of those companies.

this is what I wonder. If I legitimately use said site, and they seize the monies, can I sue them

Posted by jupiterone on Apr-16-2011 23:22:

never cared for playing online poker for real cash. if i have the urge to play with fake money i just boot up full house poker for xbox360. tournaments every weekend and all that jazz, much more interaction as well

Posted by Meat187 on Apr-16-2011 23:45:

I wish this were true just so I could laugh in the face of all those "I quit my studies after one year and am now making a shitload of money with poker" dickheads.

Posted by bigjimslade002 on Apr-17-2011 07:12:

my friend was able to withdraw 15 grand in wins these last few months from full tilt before they shut down.i was just watching him play a few days ago.when you see someone rack up 3500 bucks in a win from a game of omaha it makes you want to sign up and learn poker so bad

Posted by Ash Parajuli on Apr-17-2011 07:53:

Like illegal filesharing, i don't think it'll die. They'll find other ways.

Posted by Sushipunk on Apr-17-2011 08:07:

quote:
Originally posted by Ash Parajuli
Like illegal filesharing, i don't think it'll die. They'll find other ways.

I'm not sure if that's a good comparison.

File sharing happens because of whatever technology is available at the time. It used to be p2p, now torrents, etc.

To run a legal gambling site, like these, you have to have tons of permits, and abide by the gambling rules in which ever country you happen to be running the site in. No one in their right mind would join a dodgy, illegal gambling site, signing over their credit card details, etc.

In this case, from what I understand, they were running completely legally as a site. The problem is that they were (supposedly) laundering the funds/profits in various ways that were completely illegal. That's why they've been shut down.

Posted by itsamemario on Apr-17-2011 08:18:

quote:
Originally posted by Sushipunk
His name is Danny the rat.

fixed

Posted by Rodrico on Apr-17-2011 08:21:

This is not the end of online poker, its only the start. Casinos have been buying out gambling sites and partnering up with them recently for something in the near future. I give it a few months before its legalized and the government starts getting their share from the sites and the players. This was just a way for them to clean house, and start over.

Posted by jupiterone on Apr-17-2011 08:29:

wait, so why exactly were they shut down? legit illegal activity or just the fact the government wasn't get a dime from their actions? to many this may be a ridiculous question

Posted by Sushipunk on Apr-17-2011 08:41:

quote:
Originally posted by jupiterone
wait, so why exactly were they shut down? legit illegal activity or just the fact the government wasn't get a dime from their actions? to many this may be a ridiculous question

Money laundering, pretty much.

Posted by jupiterone on Apr-17-2011 10:38:

quote:
Originally posted by Sushipunk
Money laundering, pretty much.

meh, way to get fucked in the asshole, i guess. i bet in the process all those head honchos had a:

Posted by MrJiveBoJingles on Apr-17-2011 10:50:

Maybe if Bitcoin takes off people will start gambling for those. Tax-free, too.

Posted by Ian on Apr-17-2011 11:53:

I hope I'm not the first to say this

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Conway Twitty."

Posted by Watts on Apr-17-2011 23:27:

I made some serious cash with PokerStars...some of it I didn't get back yet.

This definitely sucks.

Posted by Lews on Apr-18-2011 00:29:

I know with some of the companies to sign up you (from the States) you needed to go through like a bank in Malta and shit.

I agree with Rodrico. Just give it a bit and it'll be back and taxed. Maybe not the same people in charge, but online poker isn't going to die.

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