Full Tilt, Pokerstars, Ultimate Bet seized by gov't?

[jetsjets1028]

go figure huh poker related

[Pajda]

Not sure if you guys heard but a lot of major poker sites are being shutdown in the US by the FBI. Any thoughts? You heard it here first!

Did you just wake up from 3 day nap?

[ttrace35]

Germans bombing Pearl Harbor!

I thought it was the JAPS?

I must have missed that day in class

[prop]

For PS to say, "outside the US, it's business as usual" is sorta like saying, "aside from that, how did you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln."...

Doc

Not quite considering there is 37,420 non US player at the real money ring game tables this moment. This doesn't count ring game traffic and there are 185,919 total players logged in.

To put this in perspective, while there might be some tiny little online poker rooms here and there that are missing, even the minor ones (some with 0 logged in) are counted in this figure. According to all sites listed at pokerscout.com there are 95,453 ring game players. This means 39.2% of all poker games being played online this moment are at pokerstars.

Full Tilt is similar. In fact Full Tilt and PokerStars after stopping taking US players are still combing for 55.96% of the global market. There is no one even close to competing with them even though they don't accept US players.

PokerStars traffic feel about 25% in the days following this news and since has climbed back, it looks like the total loss of volume is around 18%? Too early to estimate the damages, or how it will play out for them.

[dikefale]

Is this only americans related or what? I just read about it and need time to understand.

[JohnnyD4916]

No more poker?

[LLXC]

You heard it here first!

[Richards]

Is this only americans related or what? I just read about it and need time to understand.

Primarily, yes, but since US players comprise a good chunk of PS and FT player bases, there will be ripple effects elsewhere.

For the people overreacting, this quote from the above article is instructive:

It's been almost five years since PS and FTP made the decision to continue their operations in the U.S., and it took that long for the DOJ to build its cases against them. 2011's renditions may see that as plenty of time to build their coffers.

[daneblazer]

Looks like I'm going to have to go play with the station masters at Daytona now. Should be a fun filled high variance ride...

[Stallion]

Move to Canada or to the UK.

[medkour_y]

I just lost everything i had on the website -.-@

[thetrinity]

i have an account at full tilt (balance 0), i just downloaded the software from the euro site and tried to play a points tournament, wont even let u sign up. i kinda got away from online poker and have concentrated on sports betting for the past couple years, now im pretty happy i did. i am going to proceed cautiously with the sportsbooks, not leaving as much as a balance as i have in the past, and possibly using cashout methods that might be a bit more pricey, and be more willing to use my local.

[eyeball]

Forget about getting any money out, the banks are frozen..consider it a bad beat

[no1here]

Feltstars, merge site is refusing to honor US withdrawals and assorted Cake Network sites such as PowerPoker, are refusing play for US players. Radio announcing all of poker world wide to be shut down.

[biggie12]

Willing to buy peoples balances with a VIG of course, and only if you can player-to-player transfer.

Im in canada and have no problem waiting for smoke to clear to cash out.


currently Pstars only

[soxwin1917]

Willing to buy peoples balances with a VIG of course, and only if you can player-to-player transfer. Im in canada and have no problem waiting for smoke to clear to cash out. currently Pstars only

Vulture.

[GoodVibrations]

So we're blaming Obama for this now? I guess some people are just desperate to point fingers..

I agree...

My guess is the feds never told Obama... We know he likes to play poker so my thinking is they kept him out of the loop on this one...

[BodogBecky]

Just got another txt from my brother that made me a little relieved even though this doesn't really effect me, I guess relieved for him

"Similar to bodog getting seized while ago (changed to bodoglife)"

I do vividly remember when bodog switched their url, but had no clue what the reason behind it was...

Patent trolls was the reason!

[MUHerd37]

Stock market was down 140 points today. However, my Las Vegas Sands stock was up $1.62. Not too sure if it has anything to do with this poker debacle. Some of the casinos have alliances with the online sites.

[thisisit]

I wish everyone who has money in any of the sites the best of luck trying to get paid. Hope this gets resolved quickly for the players!

[TexansFan]

Move to Canada or to the UK.

Just to play poker online? No thanks.

[TexansFan]

Stock market was down 140 points today. However, my Las Vegas Sands stock was up $1.62. Not too sure if it has anything to do with this poker debacle. Some of the casinos have alliances with the online sites.

Stocks were down because Standard and Poor's lowered the U.S. credit rating from stable to negative because of the U.S. debt problem.

[shinnman]

doyles room is still running , is that right

[mtneer1212]

Doyles Room, Cake Network and Bodog are all still running because they were not caught doing "e-checks" or instant deposit transfers disguised as a different transaction, like gold purchases or golf balls

[bettilimbroke999]

Its kinda hard to figure why they would use banks in the US, I mean that doesnt even make any sense, why not buy or coerce or whatever they did with an international bank instead, its fuckin completely obvious any US bank account for an illegal online gambling site is gonna eventually be seized

[NYSportsGuy210]

Bring back speakeasies....

[GunShard]

I say legalize online gambling and let the government tax it.

[Reno Paul]

I hope that online poker may be legal in California someday.......


Betting On California’s Online Poker Winnings

Jan 14th, 2011 | By Eric Hogue At first I thought it was just a midlife crisis, then again maybe an undiscovered libertarian streak within my conservative ideology; after a few days of some serious self-talk and morning bathroom mirror arguments I realized that it was nothing more than common sense.
If nearly one-million Californians are already playing online poker - albeit illegally – why wouldn’t I support a joint revenue share with the State of California and a few sovereign tribes?
I know – it’s immoral to support the legalization of a vice that limits lives and causes burden. Tell me again why conservatives support the legal manufacturing of tobacco and alcohol products? If I remember correctly, choice inside of liberty is a party ideal, whereas self-discipline is not the government’s responsibility.
And if is the money you’re worried about, well it sure beats being taxed into bankruptcy; or worse yet, being taxed across the state line and into the hands of Nevada’s willing collectors.
Online poker profits are simply money that has left our state’s economy, never to return; money that accounts for over 40-percent of the world’s current online poker activity (all illegal), and money that is invested in illegal offshore poker domains in the Caribbean, Russia and the United Kingdom.
And we are ignoring its usefulness because we believe it is wrong to legalize “online poker?” But I can go down to my local brick and mortar casino and play all the poker I desire, adding daily to the growing tribal coffers as I allow my gaming contributions to be added to the state’s contracted revenue without concern – but playing securely within a licensed and regulated online poker hub be damned.
Why?
Why should I be against the state’s collecting over $100 million annually from online poker profits, while I allow the legislators to seize more of my income, my vehicle license fees and sales taxes to satisfy their spending? And what do I care if you want to play (invest) your money in entertainment that provides amusement for millions, as it provides millions for the state’s budget deficit?
It seems that I am not alone. A recent Tulchin poll of 600-person (statewide) reports that 66-percent of California supports regulated and taxed online poker for the Golden State, and 45-percent support such a measure strongly. Tulchin also concluded that 84-percent of California’s polled citizens want the state to regulate online poker ahead of the federal governments eventually efforts.
As I reported last year, U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) already has his grimy fingers around such legislation to pay back his campaign contributors and fulfill his political promises. Why would we delay the inevitable; growing apathetic as the federal government raids our state’s economic infrastructure once again?
I say California first; it is time to refuse illegal offshore pirates to make millions from our harvest, or for foreign islands, countries and territories to skirt our archaic laws? It’s time to add online poker to the state’s economy, as we gather a large portion of revenue for roads, education and other legitimate governance.
Orange County State Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) has introduced a solid piece of online poker legislation in Sacramento. The bill would allow a limited number of tribes to operate secure, regulated and protected poker domains inside of California. The contract would call for a revenue percentage split between the hub operators (licensed tribes) and the state’s general budget.
Poker players from around the world will log onto California domains due to their regulated financial security and inspected odds. As it stands right now, millions of California players are literally gambling with identity theft and fraud when they log onto an illegal poker website. More security, more protections and regulated odds are marketing enough to make current players, and future players, ante-up for California’s fiscal futures.
The revenue is already waiting.
A recent study operated by former director of the California Department of Finance Tim Gage has concluded that regulating and taxing profits would generate an additional $1.01 billion in the first ten years. Exponentially speaking, as more and more players enlist with the state’s poker hub, this figure grows. It’s a starting point, a reference of today’s windfall and tomorrow’s cash flow.
This would add to the already large California gaming sector, which currently accounts for approximately $8.3 billion in annual revenue, and employs approximately 64,000 California’s, and paid an estimated $375 million to the state in fiscal year 2009-10.
This brings me to a final argument against; that legalizing online poker only increases government’s appetite and growth, that approving of a poker revenue split from the profits satisfies the hunger of big government, leading to more gluttony.
I have only one answer for this premise; maybe.
Will this newly created revenue stream will be used to feed the addiction of government leading to more bureacracy, higher spending and incremental structural obesity?
It depends.
But at least government won’t be getting fatter by grabbing more money from my annual income and pilfering from private sector futures. And when you consider the current fiscal representation in the “Belly of the Beast,” this is a gamble that I am willing to take.

[El Sol]

...

[bigdog3580]

This stuff is all crazy. We need a place to play.

[biggie12]

VIG - JUICE

i willl give 85 cents on the dollar if anyone interested. whoever called me vulture in the previous post. Do you want to assure your money is out??? wait and see.

[cyclonebell]

This stuff is all crazy. We need a place to play.

Bodog poker. jk.

[bettorjon]

Germans bombing Pearl Harbor!

for sure, youre not smarter than a 5th grader

[Full Time Hobo]

[downsouth]

Sarcasm is just something some people do not get.