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Feds cracking down on online poker..? - Page 6

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Pokerstars is an online poker site. Pokerstrategy is an educational training site. They are not the same site. The TSL3 is sponsored by pokerstrategy.com.
ondik
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
Czech Republic2908 Posts
April 15 2011 19:37 GMT
#101
lol I opened FTP today and started three tournaments after like month, now reading this.. pretty ironic
Bisu. The one and only. // Save the cheerreaver, save the world (of SC2)
Soap
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Brazil1546 Posts
April 15 2011 19:37 GMT
#102
It is reasonable to assume the most of the money is held outside of the US and therefore not under their jurisdiction. There's a reason most poker sites are private companies and located at fiscal paradises.
Impervious
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
Canada4216 Posts
April 15 2011 19:38 GMT
#103
Fuck. I don't like the idea of losing ~1k..... Could be a lot worse, but I really don't like the idea of losing money over this bullshit.

I feel sorry for people who are gonna lose more though..... There could have at least been some warning so that individual people weren't going to get fucked over by this.....
~ \(ˌ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs\ : not capable of being damaged or harmed.
JFO
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
184 Posts
April 15 2011 19:40 GMT
#104
i feel relief because i've lost alot of money on poker sites and always regret not spending it in something else, if i were good knowning myself i would not cash out until hitting 100k, which would not get me enough time as to right now to have accomplished, thus losing my money either way...

still this is bullshit though, so many people and such a industry can fall down here, entire familys, unemploment etc.
EtherealDeath
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United States8366 Posts
April 15 2011 19:41 GMT
#105
So I just noticed, if you read the FBI notice which now shows up, you might notice:

Conducting, financing, managing, supervising, directing, or owning all or part of an illegal gambling business is a federal crime (18 U.S.C 1955)

For persons engaged in the business of betting or wagering, it is also a federal crime to knowingly accept, in connection with the participation of another person in unlawful internet gambling, credit, electronic fund transfers, or checks (31 U.S.C. 5363 & 5366)


Might this suggest that the FBI is currently viewing PS, FT, and absolutepoker as an illegal gambling business (this itself being a dramatic conclusion)? If so, then it would follow from the above that everyone using the site is committing a federal crime, and since I doubt they would bother to try everyone, that would suggest all the money or some large portion would just be kept by the gov.

Not sure of the law on how much money could be taken, but someone mentioned that for the PS owners, they could face fines of up to twice the money laundered. If there is similar logic applied for PS/other poke site users, then they could just take all the money and call it a day could they not?

Would be really shitty for everyday users, especially since as far as I have heard from everyone, the US gov was not clear on the illegality of this, and everyone I know irl seems to think that online poker is legal.
AKspartan
Profile Joined January 2011
United States126 Posts
April 15 2011 19:41 GMT
#106
On April 16 2011 04:27 Modafinil wrote:
I'm not ignorant of the subject. I'm an attorney in the US and a former online poker player.

The bolded part is particularly laughable. Yes, I understand, you spent a lot of time playing poker. How much effort you put into it has no bearing on its legality or the legality of what the poker sites did with the money they took in - including the money of yours they were holding.

The sites aren't criminal enterprises? You can go argue with the federal indictment. To quote the press release,

Show nested quote +
The United States also filed a civil money laundering and in rem forfeiture complaint (the "Civil Complaint") against the Poker Companies, their assets, and the assets of several payment processors for the Poker Companies. In addition, restraining orders were issued against more than 75 bank accounts utilized by the Poker Companies and their payment processors


whether or not poker is legal where the companies were based, what they were doing with the money was illegal. Some of that involved activity in the US, and with US financial institutions. Thus, the US has jurisdiction.


The true criminals here are the legislators who snuck UIGEA into a completely unrelated bill and shuffled it through congress, and attorneys like you who will gladly try your hardest to put these nonviolent offenders in jail for a significant portion of their lives. And for what end?
Slithe
Profile Blog Joined February 2007
United States985 Posts
April 15 2011 19:41 GMT
#107
On April 16 2011 04:26 Manit0u wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 16 2011 04:22 thebigdonkey wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:19 Manit0u wrote:
From LP.net

On April 15 2011 14:13 VanDerMeyde wrote:
Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Wire Fraud

ISAI SCHEINBERG,RAYMOND BITAR,BRENT BECKLEY,NELSON BURTNICK,PAUL TATE,RYAN LANG,BRADLEY FRANZEN,IRA RUBIN,CHAD ELIE

30 years in prison;
fine of $1,000,000 or twice the gross gain or loss;
5 years supervised release;
forfeiture of proceeds of offense

Money Laundering Conspiracy

ISAI SCHEINBERG,RAYMOND BITAR,BRENT BECKLEY,NELSON BURTNICK,PAUL TATE,RYAN LANG,BRADLEY FRANZEN,IRA RUBIN,CHAD ELIE,JOHN CAMPOS

20 years in prison;
fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered;
3 years supervised release;
forfeiture of proceeds of offense


Is that who's getting charged and what they can get?


There's a link to the Department of Justice pdf of the filing in the OP. It details the charges.


Oh, sorry, not really in the mood for reading legal stuff in .pdf format right now

Show nested quote +
On April 16 2011 04:24 Propane wrote:
If the United States were acting rationally they would simply tax cocaine at a reasonable rate and allow drug addicts to continue doing what they enjoy. If you live in the United States or any other jurisdiction which is attempting to ban cocaine please contact your representative and let them know that you are in favor of allowing people to do drugs.

By outlawing cocaine the United States is wasting resources enforcing a silly law when they could instead allow a business to thrive and produce entertainment for millions of people.

Additionally, allowing companies to operate inside the USA would allow better consumer protection.


See now how bad your argument sounds?


His argument doesn't sound bad at all. It's true that the drug war is an enormous money sink that does not yield benefits. Drug legalization would in all likelihood significantly reduce our drug problem in many ways, including reduced crime, extra revenue, and greater consumer safety.

The government should not be so heavy handed in what they let a person do, so long as it does not harm anyone else. What a person does with their money and their body is up to them.

The USA allows lotteries, which is just large-scale distributed gambling. Stocks, housing investments, these are all legal forms of gambling. Why are they trying so hard to make poker illegal?
Zinnwaldite
Profile Joined August 2010
Norway1567 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-15 19:42:17
April 15 2011 19:41 GMT
#108
haha,, this is so funny ^_^

i love it =)
We promise with a view to hope, but the reason to "accomplish" what we promised would be fear.
Wohmfg
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United Kingdom1292 Posts
April 15 2011 19:41 GMT
#109
On April 16 2011 04:35 Modafinil wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 16 2011 04:28 Wohmfg wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:21 Modafinil wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:15 Wohmfg wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:07 StarStruck wrote:
It's just one of the risks you take by doing it. :/


No it really isn't. Don't make it sound like it's the poker players' fault for losing the money.

This is not something anyone could have ever foreseen. Ever. There were maybe like a few thousand people in the whole world who knew what was going on.

Say you get struck by a meteor playing golf. That is not one of the risks of playing golf.

I think I just lost my £400 for my euro trip then.


While I sympathize with the players who lost money, I think "meteor while playing golf" is a bit over-dramatic.

The fact is online poker has always been a grey area, whether it was the passage of the UIGEA in 2006 or just the sites themselves having problems with cheating and shills.

A lot of you are probably too young to remember this but online poker has been on the government's radar for almost a decade. It was always a question of WHEN the "meteor" would hit, not IF.

That said there was no telling when. It sucks that it happened now, but it was inevitable.


Why are you comparing cheating at online poker to this? They are not the same at all and it isn't relevant. Don't call poker a "grey area".

The UIGEA has nothing to do with me. It should not have affected me.

http://www.pokerstars.com/legislation/uigea/


I don't know how many times I have to explain this.

The poker sites were allegedly engaged in fraud and money laundering. Whether or not you were legally depositing there, they were allegedly doing illegal things with your money. As a result, the assets of the companies are being seized - including your money.


I understand that. It says that in the OP.

The UIGEA is a law in a country that I am not a citizen of. I gave my money to an American company with the faith that they were operating legally. As far as I am aware, there was nothing to indicate to me that they were operating illegally. If you could point me to some evidence that would show that I was stupid for doing this then please go ahead. That is, evidence that is readily available to anyone and that highlights the possibility of the scenario the poker sites are facing now.

Your point about the cheating in poker has no relevance on this subject at all.
BW4Life!
EtherealDeath
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United States8366 Posts
April 15 2011 19:42 GMT
#110
On April 16 2011 04:37 Soap wrote:
It is reasonable to assume the most of the money is held outside of the US and therefore not under their jurisdiction. There's a reason most poker sites are private companies and located at fiscal paradises.


I assume the gov could fine PS/etc for some huge amount that would require taking the money out of their havens? I guess those people better not be in the US anywhere in the near future, and hope that their countries don't extradite.
guN-viCe
Profile Joined March 2010
United States687 Posts
April 15 2011 19:43 GMT
#111
pokerstars just blocked all US players
Never give up, never surrender!!! ~~ Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence -Sagan
JFO
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
184 Posts
April 15 2011 19:44 GMT
#112
Does "money laundered" mean our money? or maybe just perhaps actually "money laundered" that can be 'x' ammount.

So is the money on the tables considered part of the "laundered money"
Kipsate
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Netherlands45349 Posts
April 15 2011 19:44 GMT
#113
Non-violent means little, it is more of a white-collar crime, and money laundering is quite a serious offense.
WriterXiao8~~
Modafinil
Profile Joined May 2010
United States35 Posts
April 15 2011 19:44 GMT
#114
On April 16 2011 04:41 AKspartan wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 16 2011 04:27 Modafinil wrote:
I'm not ignorant of the subject. I'm an attorney in the US and a former online poker player.

The bolded part is particularly laughable. Yes, I understand, you spent a lot of time playing poker. How much effort you put into it has no bearing on its legality or the legality of what the poker sites did with the money they took in - including the money of yours they were holding.

The sites aren't criminal enterprises? You can go argue with the federal indictment. To quote the press release,

The United States also filed a civil money laundering and in rem forfeiture complaint (the "Civil Complaint") against the Poker Companies, their assets, and the assets of several payment processors for the Poker Companies. In addition, restraining orders were issued against more than 75 bank accounts utilized by the Poker Companies and their payment processors


whether or not poker is legal where the companies were based, what they were doing with the money was illegal. Some of that involved activity in the US, and with US financial institutions. Thus, the US has jurisdiction.


The true criminals here are the legislators who snuck UIGEA into a completely unrelated bill and shuffled it through congress, and attorneys like you who will gladly try your hardest to put these nonviolent offenders in jail for a significant portion of their lives. And for what end?


"Attorneys like [me]"? The vast majority of attorneys don't even work in criminal law (including me), and of those that do, far more work in defense than prosecution.

There's plenty of blame to lay at the feet of the legal profession, but prosecuting poker players isn't one of them.

Personally, I blame the Christians.
Gryffes
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United Kingdom763 Posts
April 15 2011 19:44 GMT
#115
I only have $10k or so on stars, but I can't withdraw at all right now.
Thankfully most of my roll is on other sites.
www.youtube.com/gryffes - Random Gaming Videos.
ROOTFayth
Profile Joined January 2004
Canada3351 Posts
April 15 2011 19:45 GMT
#116
On April 16 2011 04:41 Sebzou wrote:
haha,, this is so funny ^_^

i love it =)

how is it funny...?
TURKISHRAMBO
Profile Joined November 2010
Canada148 Posts
April 15 2011 19:45 GMT
#117
On April 16 2011 04:41 Wohmfg wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 16 2011 04:35 Modafinil wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:28 Wohmfg wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:21 Modafinil wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:15 Wohmfg wrote:
On April 16 2011 04:07 StarStruck wrote:
It's just one of the risks you take by doing it. :/


No it really isn't. Don't make it sound like it's the poker players' fault for losing the money.

This is not something anyone could have ever foreseen. Ever. There were maybe like a few thousand people in the whole world who knew what was going on.

Say you get struck by a meteor playing golf. That is not one of the risks of playing golf.

I think I just lost my £400 for my euro trip then.


While I sympathize with the players who lost money, I think "meteor while playing golf" is a bit over-dramatic.

The fact is online poker has always been a grey area, whether it was the passage of the UIGEA in 2006 or just the sites themselves having problems with cheating and shills.

A lot of you are probably too young to remember this but online poker has been on the government's radar for almost a decade. It was always a question of WHEN the "meteor" would hit, not IF.

That said there was no telling when. It sucks that it happened now, but it was inevitable.


Why are you comparing cheating at online poker to this? They are not the same at all and it isn't relevant. Don't call poker a "grey area".

The UIGEA has nothing to do with me. It should not have affected me.

http://www.pokerstars.com/legislation/uigea/


I don't know how many times I have to explain this.

The poker sites were allegedly engaged in fraud and money laundering. Whether or not you were legally depositing there, they were allegedly doing illegal things with your money. As a result, the assets of the companies are being seized - including your money.


I understand that. It says that in the OP.

The UIGEA is a law in a country that I am not a citizen of. I gave my money to an American company with the faith that they were operating legally. As far as I am aware, there was nothing to indicate to me that they were operating illegally. If you could point me to some evidence that would show that I was stupid for doing this then please go ahead. That is, evidence that is readily available to anyone and that highlights the possibility of the scenario the poker sites are facing now.

Your point about the cheating in poker has no relevance on this subject at all.

i dont know law or anything but i think exactly this.

Not giving the money back to their rightful owners would be complete bullshit and IMO immoral. Lots of people have alot of money on these sites.
zyzski
Profile Joined May 2010
United States698 Posts
April 15 2011 19:46 GMT
#118
people are going to be killing themselves because of this stuff, wowowowow
TYBG
Deleted User 3420
Profile Blog Joined May 2003
24492 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-15 19:48:14
April 15 2011 19:47 GMT
#119
Best of luck to all U.S. players with serious money on the sites. You're gonna need it.

This is our government. They do not care about their citizens. They don't give a shit at all about the people making a livelihood from this.
Impervious
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
Canada4216 Posts
April 15 2011 19:47 GMT
#120
On April 16 2011 04:46 zyzski wrote:
people are going to be killing themselves because of this stuff, wowowowow

Seriously. You're definitely not far from the truth.....

A lot of people may lose a lot of money by doing things that are completely legal in their own countries..... Entire life savings could be gone in a fucking instant.
~ \(ˌ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs\ : not capable of being damaged or harmed.
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