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RE: Fed Crackdown on Online Poker Money Transfers

More details on WTF’s going on

by , Jun 7, 2009 | 2:25 pm

Comments (7)

None of this is super-confirmed — government officials don’t work “on the record” over the weekend — but here’s what we are hearing from presumably reliable sources regarding payment troubles at PokerStars and elsewhere:

(Again, this is all subject to factual revision — the news-gathering process can be messy business — but it’s definitely not a joke like our “news” of the Russ Hamilton/Full Tilt banner endorsement. Question marks added on stuff we’re less clear about; grain of salt knowing some sources may have a “message” they want out there.)

  • The DOJ is spearheading the effort to shake down up PokerStars payment processors, with authority from New York’s Southern District federal court.
  • $14 million has been frozen (in a Sacramento bank?) in either one or two accounts — the account(s) of a third-party payment processor — affecting 5,500 PokerStars players.
  • These people have supposedly been notified not to cash any checks they’ve been issued, and their online accounts have been credited.
  • No need for a panic or a run on online banks — $14 million may or may not be being covered by a friendly non-PokerStars-ish entity, which should be made available in a matter of days.
  • Online poker indy big-wigs planning aggressive counterattack in court tomorrow. New York DA (?) Somebody will be seeking injunctions on the federal action(?), suggesting rogue overzealous Dept. of Justice prosecutors are overstepping their bounds, similar to the way they did going after Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

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7 Comments to “RE: Fed Crackdown on Online Poker Money Transfers ”


  1. Kevin Mathers     says:
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:22pm

    Did I read that right about a NY DA on the side of PokerStars on this issue?


  2. DanM     says:
    June 7th, 2009 at 5:44pm

    that’s what i’m hearing … but there is a question mark near that assertion.


  3. Alicia     says:
    June 7th, 2009 at 8:17pm

    WTF is this world coming to?!?!? Why doesn’t the govt just let me play poker and give me my money when I want it so they can tax the crap out of it to pay for any other industries they’d like to nationalize? Seems like a win-win to me… well that is if you consider taking it coming and going a win… but a win nonetheless.


  4. DLewis     says:
    June 7th, 2009 at 10:24pm

    I tried to deposit on Full Tilt last night and tonight and it said that E-Check is not available.


  5. DanM     says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 7:36am

    Were any other deposit options working?


  6. Drizztdj     says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 8:50pm

    My Full Tilt check from two weeks ago is stating “pending returned”. Which of course was the money I was planning on using in three weeks in Vegas.

    They return the money to my account, but THAT’S NOT WHERE I WANT IT.

    Plus I’ll probably be hit with some bad check fee.


  7. DLewis     says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 10:23pm

    It looks like all the other ones are working or at least they are not being blocked from trying them. The only credit cards I’ve ever been able use were the ones you buy at the drug store.