FBI Shuts Down Online Poker in the United States

[Ice]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/04/fbi-cracks-down-on-3-biggest-online-poker-houses-poker-stars-full-tilt-poker-absolute-poker/1


In a major crackdown on online gambling, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office have charged the founders of the three biggest Internet poker sites 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 be sentenced with up to 20 years in prison.

Visitors to FullTiltPoker.com and AbsolutePoker.com Saturday were met with a 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..........

Wow. I can say I didn't see that coming. I guess all these college dropouts will need a new profession.

[Crazed Rabbit]

People engaging in consensual activities that harm and inconvenience no one?

Better spend millions taking them down. Especially when they worked out how to continue legally. The government's enforcers don't take that kind of back-sass lightly.

CR

[Subotan]

Hooray! Yet more money for European taxpayers!

[Beirut]

It's legal here in Kweebec. Because da guvment runs it. :smiley:

https://www.espacejeux.com/en/poker/home/

[Hosakawa Tito]

It's legal here in Kweebec. Because da guvment runs it. :smiley:

https://www.espacejeux.com/en/poker/home/

Hehehe, You can bet The Donald & his Vegas rivals had a lot to do with the online poker bust. A colleague from work recently returned from Vegas, he's a frequent customer. Word is the slots in Vegas used to run 23 out of 24 hours. They're down to 12 hours now. Competition for the suckers is tightening up.

[HopAlongBunny]

Wasn't there something about this a few years back?

I remember it being a jurisdictional issue. Located off-shore but since the transactions took place in the US, and involved credit or debt in accounts in the US the USofA had jurisdiction.

Does the money laundering refer to money being laundered by clients (winnings as a clean source of accounts) or money being laundered by the casinos to disguise exactly where it was sourced?

[Beirut]

Hehehe, You can bet The Donald & his Vegas rivals had a lot to do with the online poker bust. A colleague from work recently returned from Vegas, he's a frequent customer. Word is the slots in Vegas used to run 23 out of 24 hours. They're down to 12 hours now. Competition for the suckers is tightening up.

No competition here; Loto-Quebec runs provincial gambling like Stalin ran the gulags. And according to a poll done a few years back, some crazy big percentage of Quebecers are counting on lottery winnings to see them through their retirement.

There's a pre-bursted balloon for ya.

[Jaguara]

And according to a poll done a few years back, some crazy big percentage of Quebecers are counting on lottery winnings to see them through their retirement.

This is not unique to Quebec...that is actually a common statistic throughout North America.

over 20% of all Americans have "winning the lottery" as their only retirement plan
apparently this grows to almost 38% in those with incomes below 25K
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0109-05.htm

As of 2010, the percentage of Americans with less than $10K saved for retirement rose to 43% (from 39% in 2009)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/09/americans-retirement-savi_n_492205.html

I could not find it, but I had seen a similar study in the 90s, which showed top retirement "strategies" in the US included not only the lottery, but also "inheritance from a long lost relative" and "suing someone". Together they represented more than 50% of the survey respondants.

This genius trys to talk sense to them based on the odds of winning...as if they were rational about such a thought.
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2010/09/23/will-the-lottery-fund-your-retirement-dont-bet-on-it/

[Ronin]

good to see law enforcement has its priorities in order.

[Ice]

good to see law enforcement has its priorities in order.

I hope that's sarcasm... bank fraud and money laundering are two serious crimes. The title of this thread is a bit misleading as they didn't completely shut down all Poker games, but rather these ones who were blatantly violating the law. I read another article (can't remember where =/) which talked about a company that complied with the new 2006 rules on online gambling. Although not initially profitable, abiding by the law is going to pay off big time now as they are no one of the few legal players left in the market.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Turns out the FBI has an informant - a criminal rat who owed millions to the people now being charged. (http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/web-kings-life-on-the-line/story-fn6ck45n-1226039907165)


A FORMER Queensland internet king is believed to have been a key figure behind FBI action against three major gambling websites in the United States.

Daniel Tzvetkoff, who had been facing 75 years jail in the US, has done a deal with prosecutors which has seen him freed on bail and living in a secret New York location.

The Courier-Mail reported today that the deal came after Tzvetkoff - a Brisbane boy wonder, who started a company with school mates at 13 - became embroiled in a massive, $543 million stew of money laundering, bank fraud and conspiracy that could bring down the world of online gambling.

Federal prosecutors in New York yesterday charged the founders of the three largest internet poker companies in the US with bank fraud, money laundering and other gambling offenses and are seeking penalties upward of $3 billion.



Federal authorities also froze approximately 76 bank accounts in 14 countries that contain proceeds from the alleged offenses. They also shut down five internet domain names used by the three companies to host their games.

A total of 11 defendants, including the founders of Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, were named in the indictment unsealed Friday.

The Courier-Mail reported today that two of those companies Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, had been seeking $100m they believed Tzvetkoff had taken from them.

CR

[Xiahou]

It's probably just a coincidence that days before the Feds swung into action DC started their own government-run online gambling operation (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/internet-gambling-is-coming-to-dc/2011/04/13/AF62F4UD_blog.html). :rolleyes: