The owners of three of the largest Internet poker companies operating in the United States were accused on Friday of tricking regulators and banks into processing billions of dollars of illegal Internet gambling proceeds.
Eleven people including the owners of Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars were charged with violating anti-Internet gambling laws, according to charges filed by federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
The charges are part of a crackdown on Internet gambling in the United States, where it has been illegal since 2006.
In March, Wynn Resorts said that it had entered into a partnership with PokerStars, and that they would work for passage in the United States of legislation that would define illegal Internet gambling.
Dear Government,
Like most things you attempt to penalize and control – this is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
Hey Ed? Making laws and enforcing them is the government’s most important business. What you espouse is anarchy – have you heard of it?
If the government had put in as much effort to legalize and regulate online gambling as they have in investigation and enforcement, we’d have billions of dollars of revenue flowing in. And with our economy being what it is, we could certainly use every cent we can find…
This law continues to be ridiculous and hypocritical, and another example of the government trying to legislate morality in Puritanical fashion. I say hypocritical because Las Vegas is considered completely American and we have casinos all over the U.S., but a little poker online? That will destroy our society!
It should be illegal, regulated and taxed. I would think the budget could handle the extra income these days.
If these guys are not willing to play by the rules that could potentially get them thrown in jail, why would anyone think they wouldn’t be cheating when it comes to their gambling site?
Hey geniuses, there were not eleven arrests. Most of the online casino execs live outside the US and are likely to be outside the reach of US authorities for quite some time. Their countries, after all, do not acknowledge that internet poker is illegal. What may be illegal is when US banks facilitate passing funds between US players and offshore entities that pass the funds along to offshore poker sites. So the three arrests have been reported in other accounts to be US bankers participating in what the US claims is illegal transfer of monies. Three arrests. Not eleven. Nice try, Trib.
Oops only two arrests; third guy turns himself in on the 19th. Press release is available all over the internet; surprised no one at the Trib bothered to read it.
Worst law ever. Yet we can go to casinos and racetracks to bet, but god forbid we bet online.
This is a GREAT move from our government.
Hey we need to shut down some brick and mortar gambling casinos too.
All these gambling venues are nothing but ripoffs.
A great day for anti casino gambling sympathizers such as myself.
The real problem is the online casino owners don’t pay out to U.S. officials. If they formed a “lobbyist group” and legally bribed legislators suddenly internet gambling would be legal.
only a moron would gamble on-line. The opportunities to rip you off are endless. The govt. is doing you a big favor, but you’re too dumb to even realize it.
Our government needs to mind there own damn business and stop triing to tell us how or what to spend our money on, And that is just what they are doing here.The money I spend on line gambling is my business and no one elses,I was born in the United States,And I am a true American and I must say that this Country makes me sick anymore.I had alot of family members in the armed forces over the years and it was all for nothing. Every thing they fought for is gone. Anyone that can say they are proud of this country anymore are total idiots and thats all there is to it,The people in this country have no say in the way they live their lives anymore at all,Its there way or no way. We are worse off now then Russia ever was.If the people don’t soon start standing up for our rights,This country will never be a fit place to live ever again.If our goverment had any brains at all,Instead of stopping the on line gambling,They could make it work in their favor and tax it so they could make some money off of it. After all thats all this is about you know, Money. And to you people that think this is a good thing because you don’t believe in gambling, Its none of your business. The goverment has been going on for over ten years,Triing to get the internet into schools and everyones homes so as to improve relations all over the world, And now that alot of people have it they are triing to tell us what or whatnot to do with it, Its all ********.
To reality – Poker is predominantly a game of skill which requires intelligence to play well. reality has clearly never played otherwise he would know that the two main skills required to play poker are being able to calculate pot odds and the ability to “read” other people’s hands. You shouldn’t make stupid comments like that reality. As they say in poker, if you don’t know who the sucker is around the table, then it’s probably you. I suspect the moron is actually reality.
Hmmm – Republicans who don’t want the government involved in your life are the ones who pushed the internet ban through Congress years a go. Such hypocrisy !
To the person called Andy whos statement is written above mind, Your whole statement is just all together stupid. It has nothing to do with what the government is doing to us, There for makes no since what so ever. If your going to comment on something, You should at least comment on the facts not something stupid like you said. It makes no since what so ever. Who cares what you are saying.We care about our no good government triing to tell us what we can or cann’t spend our money on,Ands thats what they are doing. There are to meny stupid people out there that want the government to make all choices on how we live our lives. The reason for that is because they are to stupid to decide for themself. They want our government to decide everything from raising our children to how we spend our money, Because they don’t have the brains to decide for themself. I want to decide for myself if I want to gamble or blow my money on what I want. Its my money and I’ll do what I want with it. Its no ones business what other people are doing with their money or their lives.
I don’t see the big deal…particularly when the U.S. allows gaming in many of our states. Since the brick and mortar is legal, then so should online gaming… HYPOCRISY AT ITS BEST!!!!
To the person called william whose statements are above mine, your whole statement is altogether stupid, because your grammar is worse than a fifth grader. PLEASE LEARN HOW TO SPELL BEFORE YOU TYPE A BUNCH OF GARBAGE ON THE INTERNET WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE HOW UNEDUCATED YOU ARE.
not regarding poker, but online sports gambling. attn sports speculators! Beware 2betdsi/diamond sportsbook. i have been stiffed. you will be too.