Internet gambling sites owners charged with fraud

[kilroy69 1,268]

I blame both: Republicans for deceitfully tacking the UIGEA onto the Safe Ports bill and ramming it through Congress back in 06, and Obama's DoJ for enforcing this stupid shite. And don't anyone give me that "but they're just enforcing the laws on the books" garbage or I will hit you over the head with a bag of California medical marijuana.

 

Can I smoke the said marijuana after you hit me. Cause while I may not believe it im willing to say it for the weed....the head trauma is ok too of course.....its normal though....... Can I smoke the said marijuana after you hit me cause while I ma....wait what?

 

 

 

I will take 40 ounces to freedom

[Voltaire 5,491]

Do we blame Republicans or Democrats for this? Where are Recliner Pilot and MDC when a political issue comes up that actually matters?

Republicans

 

Here are the votes for the original format (stand alone w/o port security) http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2006-363

[WhiteWonder 2,926]

Link to it being illegal?

 

ETA: Don't waste time googling for a link, it's not illegal (except in states that expressly prohibit it).

 

 

[kilroy69 1,268]

I personally know someone that has 330k on ps right now and he is freaking the fock out.

[patweisers44 865]

I personally know someone that has 330k on ps right now and he is freaking the fock out.

Holy fock.

[Giants Fan 85]

I call!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liar.

[kilroy69 1,268]

Holy fock.

I know someone else that stakes high limit players and he has 1.2 mil out "on loan" right now in the form of stakes.

 

I could care less if you believe me gfiap. I do things/know players on ps you can only imagine.

[DankNuggs 305]

I know someone else that stakes high limit players and he has 1.2 mil out "on loan" right now in the form of stakes.

 

I could care less if you believe me gfiap. I do things/know players on ps you can only imagine.

Decent chance they could be in trouble... keeping 330k online was prob a bad idea...

[kilroy69 1,268]

Decent chance they could be in trouble... keeping 330k online was prob a bad idea...

Yea but a lot of them had been playing on there for 5+ years and have never had a problem like this. Even when they made it illegal you could still get money off easy. The guy who has the 330k is MAYBE 22 now. Has been playing on ps since he was 18 and doesnt know anything other than this age of poker where its safe to use your ps account as a type of bank account.

[nikki2200 4]

Yea but a lot of them had been playing on there for 5+ years and have never had a problem like this. Even when they made it illegal you could still get money off easy. The guy who has the 330k is MAYBE 22 now. Has been playing on ps since he was 18 and doesnt know anything other than this age of poker where its safe to use your ps account as a type of bank account.

 

 

No way is he seeing a penny of that money. That really sucks.

[Stewburtx8 67]

I think they'll get their money EVENTUALLY, but it could be awhile. I just can't see the US government seizing all that money "because it was used in illegal activity," and not having the sites pay the players eventually. Well at least PStars and Full Tilt I believe will, I'd be skeptical with Absolute Poker/UB though.

[kilroy69 1,268]

No way is he seeing a penny of that money. That really sucks.

Its going to be interesting to see how its all going to shake out. I fully believe that it will all be back on in a month or so. I think that the poker companies are going to use this as an opportunity to pay a fee/fine and then become legal in the states.

[Kanil 521]

2+2 has been talking about it taking a few years to get your money back but taxed if you're in the USA.

 

On a side note, it was funny to see the 2+2 boards blow up. Normally about 4k people online out of all their forums but that day there were 70k+ in their news forum.

[Stewburtx8 67]

Its going to be interesting to see how its all going to shake out. I fully believe that it will all be back on in a month or so. I think that the poker companies are going to use this as an opportunity to pay a fee/fine and then become legal in the states.

 

 

I think a month would be a VERY optimistic timetable. I do think it will be legalized, but I think it could take more than a year. If I had to guess, it would be legalized within 2 years. And I don't think it will be PokerStars and/or Full Tilt poker as the market leaders anymore. I think this effort is going to be pushed by US gaming companies (Wynn, MGM, Caesars, etc.). This is the opportunity they all have been waiting for to carve their own market, and not have to try to partner with PokerStars or Full Tilt or enter a market that was already saturated with options. Just my opinion. It will be interesting for sure...

[kilroy69 1,268]

2+2 has been talking about it taking a few years to get your money back but taxed if you're in the USA.

 

On a side note, it was funny to see the 2+2 boards blow up. Normally about 4k people online out of all their forums but that day there were 70k+ in their news forum.

Oh yea I was one of them 70k. My brother in law kept telling me about the thing the doj had put up but it had not reached me yet and I was still seeing the old site and could still get on. I thought it was some type of ###### up joke at first. I just had to focking buy chips with moneybookers.

[kilroy69 1,268]

I think a month would be a VERY optimistic timetable. I do think it will be legalized, but I think it could take more than a year. If I had to guess, it would be legalized within 2 years. And I don't think it will be PokerStars and/or Full Tilt poker as the market leaders anymore. I think this effort is going to be pushed by US gaming companies (Wynn, MGM, Caesars, etc.). This is the opportunity they all have been waiting for to carve their own market, and not have to try to partner with PokerStars or Full Tilt or enter a market that was already saturated with options. Just my opinion. It will be interesting for sure...

It depends on what the government really is doing here. Are they really being stupid and want to be pricks or are they using this as leverage to bring them all to the table to negotiate some type of settlement. These are cash cows that could be making billions a year in taxes.

[Cruzer 1,996]

Uh .... it's A DOLLAR! And what if there are huge punitive damages and everyone who had an account with at least a dollar in it gets $500?

Aren't you the one who wouldn't call a measly $1 from the small blind with a couple of limpers the other day? Saved a buck but sent a good sized pot packing.

[Stewburtx8 67]

It depends on what the government really is doing here. Are they really being stupid and want to be pricks or are they using this as leverage to bring them all to the table to negotiate some type of settlement. These are cash cows that could be making billions a year in taxes.

 

 

Well the UIGEA was a pet project pushed by Jim Leach, former chairman of the House Banking Committee, and Rep Robert Goodlatte (R-VA). At least in Goodlatte's case, it was found that the Horse Racing Industry was in his back pocket with campaign contributions and personal funds. They wanted a niche online market that was specially carved out in the bill. But in the end, I don't think this helped the horse racing industry much at all, if any, because many banks blocked money transfers to many of these sites also.

[drobeski 3,061]

I blame both: Republicans for deceitfully tacking the UIGEA onto the Safe Ports bill and ramming it through Congress back in 06, and Obama's DoJ for enforcing this stupid shite. And don't anyone give me that "but they're just enforcing the laws on the books" garbage or I will hit you over the head with a bag of California medical marijuana.

 

They're just enforcing the laws on the books Dan.

 

 

ill pm you my shipping address ...ill hit myself over the head with it and post the video evidence.

[IronToe Nedney 0]

This really sucks, here's a link if you guys feel like fighting, not sure what good it will do, but it can't hurt.

[nikki2200 4]

I don't know how you can fight it. It would be like ding a drug dealer because he took your cash and didn't give you drugs in return.

[WhiteWonder 2,926]

I don't know how you can fight it. It would be like ding a drug dealer because he took your cash and didn't give you drugs in return.

 

this. they will tell you that anyone with money on there knew or should have known what they were doing.

 

going through a 3rd party foreign bank account as a loophole to playing online from the US. basically partaking in money laundering.

[IronToe Nedney 0]

Interesting stuff

[DanXIII 8]

They're just enforcing the laws on the books Dan.

 

 

Yet they have publicly stated that they won't enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legal medical marijuana. That's my point. They pick and choose which laws to enforce. It's ridiculous.

 

[drobeski 3,061]

Yet they have publicly stated that they won't enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legal medical marijuana. That's my point. They pick and choose which laws to enforce. It's ridiculous.

 

Shall I pm you my shipping address ?

[DanXIII 8]

I don't know how you can fight it. It would be like ding a drug dealer because he took your cash and didn't give you drugs in return.

 

Selling drugs is illegal. Playing poker online isn't. Huge difference.

 

Anyway, the sites are assuring players that their money is safe fwiw.

 

[Mike Honcho 5,435]

I personally know someone that has 330k on ps right now and he is freaking the fock out.

 

 

Tell him to give me his password, I'll help him out.

[WhiteWonder 2,926]

Selling drugs is illegal. Playing poker online isn't. Huge difference.

 

Anyway, the sites are assuring players that their money is safe fwiw.

 

 

huh?

 

the US enacted a law back in 2006 making it illegal for banks to process payments to offshore gambling sites.

 

and those sites have been more or less committing fraud to have banks process payments for Us players. (having banks process the requests into foreign 3rd party bank accounts and form there, the money makes it to Pokerstars, Full Tilt etc.)

 

so yes, having your bank process a payment to an online gambling site is illegal.

[drobeski 3,061]

Psssst....rumor has it betonsports is still up.

Not 100% sure but might be worth a shot if any of you junkies need a fix.

[Mungwater 601]

Yet they have publicly stated that they won't enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legal medical marijuana. That's my point. They pick and choose which laws to enforce. It's ridiculous.

 

 

They just choose which ones they can take the tax money from.

[Stewburtx8 67]

Well this looks like very good news for players stuck in limbo..

 

Online Poker Companies Reach Accord With U.S. on Players’ Access to Money

By David McLaughlin - Apr 20, 2011 11:57 AM ET inShare1More

 

Two online poker companies whose founders face charges of illegal gambling reached agreements with the U.S. Justice Department that will ease the return of money to players, the government said.

 

PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker entered into domain-name use agreements with the government, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan said today in a statement. The agreements allow the companies to use their web domain names “to facilitate the withdrawal of U.S. players’ funds held in account with the companies.”

 

“No individual player accounts were ever frozen or restrained, and each implicated poker company has at all times been free to reimburse any player’s deposited funds,” Bharara said in the statement. “In fact, this office expects the companies to return the money that U.S. players entrusted to them, and we will work with the poker companies to facilitate the return of funds to players.”

 

Individuals lost access to their accounts when U.S. authorities last week seized five Internet domain names and froze about 76 bank accounts in 14 countries that allegedly belong to the online poker companies.

 

In an indictment unsealed April 15, 11 people, including the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling.

 

The government also filed a civil complaint against the companies, which obtained about $3 billion from illegal activities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

[Voltaire 5,491]

I blame both: Republicans for deceitfully tacking the UIGEA onto the Safe Ports bill and ramming it through Congress back in 06, and Obama's DoJ for enforcing this stupid shite. And don't anyone give me that "but they're just enforcing the laws on the books" garbage or I will hit you over the head with a bag of California medical marijuana.

 

The DoJ doesn't get to pick and choose which laws it enforces or what it takes to court. Do you really want/expect the executive branch to pick and choose which laws they will enforce and which ones they won't? Fortunately they don't have that luxury/option. It's crazy.

 

The DoJ the federal government's lawyers and law enforcement, they do what Congress instructs them to do. For example, both President Obama and Eric Holder both opposed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and both took a lot of heat from the gay community for appealing the ruling, but they have an obligation to enforce the rules that Congress passes and to go to court to defend those rules. They don't get to choose.

 

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

No, this baby falls exclusively at the feet of the Republican Party. They voted 201-17 in favor of it and rammed it through Congress when they controlled the whole apparatus of government in 2006. Especially since Barney Frank (and Ron Paul) had been trying to repeal the law ever since, and the GOP continues to obstruct, it's still entirely their baby.

[redtodd 7]

Would it be OK if the owners of these sites were Native Americans?

[DanXIII 8]

The DoJ doesn't get to pick and choose which laws it enforces or what it takes to court.

 

Then how do you explain the current DoJ's refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court and the aforementioned medical marijuana issue?

 

Of course the DoJ picks and chooses which laws to enforce. It happens every day. There simply aren't enough resources and manpower for the DoJ and even state prosecutors to prosecute every crime that is committed. It's called 'prosecutorial discretion.'

 

The term "prosecutorial discretion" refers to the fact that under American law, government prosecuting attorneys have nearly absolute and unreviewable power to choose whether or not to bring criminal charges, and what charges to bring, in cases where the evidence would justify charges.

Read more: Prosecution: Prosecutorial Discretion - Varieties Of Discretion, Subjects Of Prosecutorial Discretion, Standards Of Prosecutorial Judgment, Controlling Prosecutorial Discretion http://law.jrank.org/pages/1870/Prosecution-Prosecutorial-Discretion.html#ixzz1K5yGaIcm

 

Holder: DOJ Won't Target Medical Marijuana In States That Allow It