Dept Of Justice Indictments

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Is ther any indication that the owners of FT (Lederer etc.) and PS will face any kind of charges?

Ray Bitar of Full Tilt and the principal owner of Poker Stars were charged in the indictment.Also an employee of each of Poker Stars and Full Tilt who is involved in payment processing was charged.None of the well known poker pros who are thought to own part of Full Tilt were named.

[FCP Bob 1,312]

http://www.pokerscout.com/news/weekly-traf...011&week=17Week-Over-Week PerformanceOverall, the worldwide online poker market shrank by an astounding 23% in one week. Most of those losses came from the Big 2: PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.The Targets -- These sites are the subject of the SDNY's legal measuresPokerStars - 25%Full Tilt Poker - 48%Cereus Network - 39%Flying Under The Radar -- These sites are still catering to US players and have escaped the heavy hand of the SDNY (for now)Merge Gaming Network + 23%Bodog + 26%Cake Poker Network + 19%Everleaf Gaming Network + 8%Safe In Europe -- These sites did not accept US players even before Black Friday, many of them having exited the US in 2006 after the UIGEA was signed into lawPartyPoker + 9%iPoker Network + 4%Ongame Network (no change)888Poker + 5%PKR + 21%

[mtdesmoines 3]

This is all a big pile of crap.The US Government, in their infinite wisdom, are trying to keep money from leaving the US. Why? We're broke! Any hint of money / currency / gold leaving the US will result in the Government cracking down. You can thank Republicans and the many Tea Party representatives that infuse religion into their political practice, believe in big oil, and complete cutting of most, if not all, government programs. So who does that leave? Democrats? They sit around and spend money on random shit thinking, "this will help," when all it really does is lodge us further into debt. Then when the dust settles, they say they didn't know this would happen.It's not stopping here. Pretty soon, any activity that runs the risk of losing US dollars to foreign consumers will be banned/blocked. If everyone on here really cared, they will do 1 of 2 things:A) Move to another countryB) Riot/March the capitalI don't see anything else coming of this. It is a sad day for online / live poker. Live poker in the fact that the pros will no longer have the respect for B&M casinos that they did in the past. Online poker in the fact that I know thousands of players are out of work and will soon be broke. No unemployment there. No one will consider your job a reputable one. I do, but I am not the hammer that will provide you with money to get by.I'm impacted too by this, but I have a job. My impact is not that significant, as I was trying to build a bankroll from nothing to a lot in MTTs. My stats are out there. I'm slowing improving, but now I guess I won't be improving anymore.

This is useless rage. Many states passed their own online poker laws. These state sites, gathering state and federal taxes, will be coming online soon. They don't want competition. So they sicced the feds on the biggest competitors in the marketplace. Voila -- instant customer base. Huge tax windfall.

[Mercury69 3]

Just a thought: While Lederer et al are certainly owners of Full Tilt poker, in terms of % of shares held or however they have structered it, I'm fairly certain they were not named because they probably don't participate in the financial operation of the site and are, therefore, at least one step removed from prosecution on the charges filed.

[wildspoke 2]

Did anyone make the perp walk?I didn't see anyone pics of people being arrested.Or are the all the parties indicted overseas?

[mdroc1 0]

While it's disappointing, it's far from surprising to be honest. After 2006 when online poker was effectively outlawed in the US, somehow AP, FTP and stars just kinda ... well... ignored it and stayed open. Somehow US players could both play there and transact money with the site, so clearly there was some dodgy workaround going on and all being run out of caribbean island companies. Frankly, I'm surprised they weren't shut down before now! Well for the rest of the poker world, online poker will keep on turning. There's a couple of downsides. A lot of WSOP entries are won online by US players on most of the sites now closed to US customers. I can see weaker numbers in coming years. Good to see that there will be a bit more of a level playing fields competing for non-US customers.

[wildspoke 2]

http://www.pokerscout.com/news/weekly-traf...011&week=17Week-Over-Week PerformanceOverall, the worldwide online poker market shrank by an astounding 23% in one week. Most of those losses came from the Big 2: PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.The Targets -- These sites are the subject of the SDNY's legal measuresPokerStars - 25%Full Tilt Poker - 48%

I'm actually an American player and was playing on Full Tilt yesterday. My client had been open before the indictments when down so I didn't have to download the new update restricting US players. Unfortunately for me, my computer slept and I lost the connection so I'm in the same boat as everyone else now. But it was weird being the only US player at the tables. Yesterday evening (Sunday) was shocking on how few players were on the site.

[fighter 4]

Just a thought: While Lederer et al are certainly owners of Full Tilt poker, in terms of % of shares held or however they have structered it, I'm fairly certain they were not named because they probably don't participate in the financial operation of the site and are, therefore, at least one step removed from prosecution on the charges filed.

Full tilt rent their software from Tiltware LCC. Tiltware is the company that Lederer et.al own %'s in.

[Mercury69 3]

Full tilt rent their software from Tiltware LCC. Tiltware is the company that Lederer et.al own %'s in.

ty, sir

[ajs510 122]

Full tilt rent their software from Tiltware LCC. Tiltware is the company that Lederer et.al own %'s in.

That's rather clever, really.

[FCP Bob 1,312]

http://www.usatoday.com/SPORTS/usaedition/...oker18_st_U.htm

Poker programming takes hit after FBI's crackdown on sitesThe arrests Friday of owners of major online poker sites are affecting TV poker.ESPN2 tonight was slated to carry taped episodes of 2011 North American Poker Tour presented by PokerStars.net at 10 ET and 11 ET.But ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said Sunday that those shows will not air in light of PokerStars being one of the three online poker sites whose owners and founders were charged Friday with bank fraud, money-laundering and illegal gambling offenses.Soltys said ESPN will not carry ads from the sites, adding: "We're efforting to remove affected programming and advertising on any of our media platforms, pending further review."ARTICLE CONTINUED AT LINK ABOVE

[rcgs59 15]

http://jgarywise.com/2011/04/poker-apocaly...spn-com-column/Gary Wise is looking for stories he writes for ESPN and WPP + many other Poker Mags

[Big Mike Watters 0]

Some time ago, NY State(and some others I understand), were unable to use their checking accounts to boot up. Now this is just speculation...but Stars was still offering boot ups with Western Union(using cash only), and Money Orders. If these sites had, say in 2006 when the law went live, simply turned off eChecks for deposit/withdrawl, and made you jump through the hoops....would this have happened? Technically the law broken is they were not entirely honest about what was being purchased with these transactions...that kinda stuff isn't taken into effect with Western Union or money orders. You're just sending money to someone in those instances. Can anyone speculate?I just wonder if greed killed Stars/Full Tilt. I can't imagine they'll be let back in the US once this all becomes legal.

[rcgs59 15]

http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/blog/299-...rohibition.htmlFederal Poker Indictments: Revisiting ProhibitionThe timing is suspicious.March saw Nevada regulators approving a partnership between Caesars and 888, and Wynn announcing a joint venture with PokerStars. Now comes the indictments, three-billion-dollar civil suit and seizures of domain names by the feds. Wynn immediately cancelled his plans. Players were panicked.Which was, of course, the goal.If the allegations are true, the operators brought this on themselves, by lying and bribing bank officials. Of course, the prosecutors have the problem of convincing a jury that there is bank fraud when the "victims" are tricked into making millions of dollars.And will this be the end of Internet poker? Did Prohibition end drinking?Prohibition created modern organized crime, by outlawing alcoholic beverages. When people want something and it is illegal, organizations will arise to fill the demand. How much more so when the activity, online poker, is not even clearly illegal?Every action by the U.S. federal government makes it more difficult for it to go after the next operator. The UIGEA, rammed through by the failed politician Bill Frist (R.-TN), can be seen as an anti-consumer-protection law, because it scared all of the publicly traded gaming companies out of the U.S. market. Then prosecutors went after payment processors, making it more difficult for players to find legitimate ways to send their money to betting sites.Now the feds have seized .com domain names and charged operators with bank fraud. So, gaming sites are switching to .eu and .uk, and cutting off all physical contact with the U.S. Even the present American operators can’t be extradited, so what hope is there for the DoJ to bring future foreign operators here to stand trial?The Grand Jury has been meeting for at least a year. The criminal indictment against PokerStars, Full Tilt, Absolute and their founders, was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney for New York on April 15, but bore a date-stamp of March 10. So why now?ARTICLE CONTINUED AT LINK ABOVE

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Good interview with Brian Balsbaughhttp://www.cnbc.com/id/42649117Brian's take on what the changes mean for sponsored players.http://pokerroyalty.com/poker-business-blo...r-sponsorships/

[rcgs59 15]

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/t...poker-crackdownThe Obama administration is wasting time and resources by targeting online poker sites, according to Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), the senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee. "What an incredible waste of resources," Frank said in an interview with The Hill regarding last Friday's crackdown, which saw the FBI and Justice Department shut down the three largest online poker sites in what appears to be the largest sting to date on illegal online gambling. Frank mocked the seizures as the administration "protecting the public from the scourge of inside straights," and lamented that the Justice Department is more focused on prosecuting online poker sites than those responsible for the mortgage crisis and financial meltdown."Go after the people responsible for empty houses, not full houses," Frank added. "I'm not saying violate the law, but to give this priority in law enforcement over some other things I think is a terrible idea and I think the administration is wrong on this."As Financial Services chairman in the last Congress, Frank moved legislation to legalize online gambling through his committee. He has re-introduced the same legislation this year in partnership with Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.). Campbell was attending a memorial service for his mother Monday and was unavailable for comment.ARTICLE CONTINUED AT LINK ABOVE

[rcgs59 15]

President Obama's facebook townhall - April 20 @ 1:45pm PDT / 4:45pm EDThttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122119071195720

wtg DD awesome post Lisa

Lisa NicholsPresident Obama, I voted for you and made contributions to your campaign. I have been disappointed in your administration on a number of occasions since you took office but I understand that change takes time. What has just happened with the DoJ and the 3 biggest online poker sites is an abomination of justice. This action put thousands of people out of a job, many of whom started playing after either graduating from college and not being able to find jobs or who lost jobs and couldn't find another one. Now these people are out of work again. When is your administration going to get something done about online poker legislation? This country is missing out on billions of dollars in tax revenue by leaving this legislation in limbo and now many are suffering because of the DoJ's action. When can we expect to see this hope and change you promised?

[FCP Bob 1,312]

I did a small test withdrawal to Moneybookers from Poker Stars on Friday night and it was just put in my Moneybookers account.I did a $2K withdrawal via cheque tonight and I'll let everybody know when it arrives.

Just received an e-mail from Stars with the Fedex tracking number for my cheque which means I should get it tomorrow morning. I've usually received cheques on Tuesday morning after requesting them Sunday night.

[rcgs59 15]

the DOJ has been deleting posts and comments made about pokers black Friday on there Facebook page

[nobody610 0]

the DOJ has been deleting posts and comments made about pokers black Friday on there Facebook page

facebook posts obviously not a part of their "open government at the department of justice" they tout on their home page.....

[Voldemort 0]

[tenpinpete 0]

I'm playing real money on UB right now (Monday 10:45pm).Locked out of Stars still, though.

[Solar 0]

Tried to hop on FT to play a few hands tonight, found I couldn't get on. Subsequently discovered this whole sad business.All I can do is to tell the DoJ that I hate them and hope I can get my $$ back.This is what I sent them. Feel free to use it...MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY CHARGES PRINCIPALS OF THREE LARGEST INTERNET POKER COMPANIESDear Sir/MadamI feel it necessary to voice my anger about the actions taken by the US DoJ. As a non-US citizen living outside the US I am outraged at the way your actions have impinged upon my personal freedom. As an avid player of online poker I now find myself not only out of a hobby for an indeterminate time, but also unable to access a not insignificant sum of my own money.Noting that the illegality of neither online poker nor of running a site offering online poker has been shown in a courtroom, I feel my aggrievement is justified. The US DoJ has no jurisdiction over my actions or over money belonging to me, provided I am not engaging in or supporting actions which are illegal and do fall under that jurisdiction.Rather than working with the industry to regulate, certify, verify and no doubt make a healthy tax profit, you have instead stepped on the liberties of not just your own people, but the liberties of those outside the United States. I do not support your actions, I do not wish to see those who manage these websites harmed by your overzealous righteousness, and I do not expect the actions of the US DoJ to step on my personal freedoms through no wrongdoing of my own.Sincerely ****************

[DiamondDixie 12]

In regards to players facing tax issues in trying to get their money back most said when Netteller was seized and Party Poker pulled out of the US everyone received their money and there were no legal or tax issues. Luckily every dime in my account I won this year and have my records to show it so if I get it back I will be declaring it on my 2011 tax return.

[GOCUBSGO 77]

Tried to hop on FT to play a few hands tonight, found I couldn't get on. Subsequently discovered this whole sad business.All I can do is to tell the DoJ that I hate them and hope I can get my $$ back.This is what I sent them. Feel free to use it...MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY CHARGES PRINCIPALS OF THREE LARGEST INTERNET POKER COMPANIESDear Sir/MadamI feel it necessary to voice my anger about the actions taken by the US DoJ. As a non-US citizen living outside the US I am outraged at the way your actions have impinged upon my personal freedom. As an avid player of online poker I now find myself not only out of a hobby for an indeterminate time, but also unable to access a not insignificant sum of my own money.Noting that the illegality of neither online poker nor of running a site offering online poker has been shown in a courtroom, I feel my aggrievement is justified. The US DoJ has no jurisdiction over my actions or over money belonging to me, provided I am not engaging in or supporting actions which are illegal and do fall under that jurisdiction.Rather than working with the industry to regulate, certify, verify and no doubt make a healthy tax profit, you have instead stepped on the liberties of not just your own people, but the liberties of those outside the United States. I do not support your actions, I do not wish to see those who manage these websites harmed by your overzealous righteousness, and I do not expect the actions of the US DoJ to step on my personal freedoms through no wrongdoing of my own.Sincerely ****************

I'm no law expert, but wouldn't transferring money to (depositing) and receiving transfers from (withdrawals) these sites qualify as supporting actions that are illegal if the DOJ does indeed prove their case against the major sites?Not that they would ever try to legally go after the millions of people that obviously play poker, but I'm just saying, I think they might scoff at that statement considering the pretty serious allegations they are making against the main online sites.