Pokerstars Shut Down & Full Tilt Poker Shut Down by the FBI

Although the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker shut down (of their websites) has impacted many online poker players, you can still play at many other top rated online poker sites as recommended by Cardschat.

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Earthquake in the Poker World - PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker Shut Down by FBI

The online poker world has just experienced a massive earthquake that will shake this industry to its core. Four websites of the largest companies: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and UB have been shut down and seized by the F.B.I on charges of bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offenses. Charges against them are up to $3billion.

Millions of online poker players have been affected by the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker shut down, whose websites display an FBI notice. US Players have been blocked from playing for real money at both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. However, non-US players can continue to play.

While the announcement has left the poker world reeling in shock, it would appear that there have been some decidedly shady dealings occurring which have resulted in the charges.

Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, along with Janice Fedarcyk, Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, unsealed an indictment charging the founders and payment processors of the above poker sites with a variety of offenses.

There is also a civil complaint against the above poker companies, their payment processors, five internet domains, as well as 75 bank accounts used by the poker companies and their payment processors.

Online poker’s status has long been a gray area in the US – something that many poker companies capitalized on by exploiting loopholes in the system. However, it would appear those loopholes are now well and truly closed.

So far there have been two arrests: Chad Elie (31) who is a payment processor for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker that shut down to US players was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada; and John Campos (57) who is the vice chairman of the board and part owner of SunFirst Bank. Campos was arrested in Utah.

Allegedly, Campos illegally processed payments from poker companies in return for a personal payoff and investment in the bank. Elie is believed to have set-up the transaction, along with similar transactions with other banks. Payment processors like Elie have also been accused of setting up dummy companies and generating fraudulent transactions to disguise poker company payments from banks.

US Attorney Bharara made a statement in which she announced that US Banks have been “tricked” or “bribed” into channeling payments and profits to online poker companies in breach of US laws.

According to Australia’s Courier-Mail, there may yet be another sting in the tail of this woeful story. The Australian publication alleges that Daniel Tzvetkoff, a former payment processor, may have assisted the US government in their historic takedown. Allegedly, he used to operate payments for large gambling sites, making a fortune doing so. But apparently he got greedy and ripped off the gambling companies for $100 million.

Having fallen out of favor, Tzvetkoff made the mistake of traveling to the US. The FBI received an “anonymous” tip off on Tzvetkoff’s location and he was arrested. Because of his wealth he was considered a flight risk and denied bail. Now, mysteriously, he is out on bail and the gambling companies are the ones in the dock.

Coincidence? Perhaps not. But it could mean that Tzvetkoff could become the most hated man in poker. After the US government that is…

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Although Full Tilt Poker shut down and PokerStars shut down access to US players, there are lots of US poker sites still accepting US players - as recommended by Cardschat.

Full discussion of the Full Tilt Poker & PokerStars shut down: http://www.cardschat.com/f13/fbi-sei...ftp-ps-196120/

Doyles Room, True Poker & Bookmaker.com shut down: True Poker, Doyles Room and Bookmaker.com Domain Names Seized -- Still Operational

PokerStars US Players | Full Tilt Poker US Players

FAQ about PokerStars / Full Tilt & US Players

tks for the post Nick.

Thanks Nick!

I feel sick to my stomach...

On topic, this sucks even for people outside the US. Lets just wait and see what happens.

Interesting developments
So there were some shady deals going on behind the scenes?

so what happens to our bankroll on PS I wonder....thanks for the update on the crazyness

Dude has a horrible mullet and looks like a douche.

Ok...first off the companies haven't been seized. They're not US based companies so it's not that easy. What is going is a simple DNS redirection if you happen to be in the US. From what I understand from the other thread, outside the US you get the normal site. Secondly, the only reason for the 2 arrests is they were in the US at this time. The rest of those charged are apparently not in the US.

Those of you who play outside the US should be fine provided the US can't gain access to major assets of any of these companies, which I doubt they'd be stupid enough to allow.

Now those of us inside the US are kinda screwed. I can still play on Bodog but how long until they try to after those companies??

Zorfox,

If you figure out what to do for the American people to take our country back you let me know. I am a sane educated middle class american and I am day after day disappointed by both the right and the left in the USA.

At this point no matter who I vote for in elections both state and federal the scumbags will do the same thing but only talk about it in different ways. Unbelievable!

eh...

America is at an all time low. I am disgraced to be living in this country. And poker is just the latest part of that....

Open your eyes people, we are not free, stop thinking this government is so great.

I have not played poker in 15 days and now wanted to play ....
i don't know what do say now!!! this really hurts....
there go my extra income...guess I have to go pump gas now

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+1,000,000 I'm right there with ya buddy. Land of the free is a time of the past. You're not free when government is creeping their ways into every crevice that can get into. Limited government, that is what the country was founded upon!

I live in Canada but the US is being smart... they don't want 'losers' to waste their income on Poker... most of us are smart enough to play the right game, but addicted gamblers are going on Welfare do to poker sites of such. This is how the US loses incomes to the Countries of Poker sites. This way the US poker sites will be gaining money for the government and they won't be losing... There are byways to this but the US government has been planning this out. I will stay tuned to this discussion hoping people will be smart with their money.

Actually, I think one of the things holding up legalization is the whole taxation issue. In the US, you can deduct gambling losses (from legal gambling ventures) on your taxes. You also receive 1099's (at least at the dog track) for winnings over $600. This balances out as those paying taxes on their winnings are covering those who deduct their losses, and the gambling establishments themselves pay taxes on their cut.

In online poker, if I am an American and I lose $600, I would be able to deduct that on my taxes, reducing the amount I pay the government. The problem is, the fellow who WON my $600 is very likely to be from Belarus or somewhere strange, and cannot be forced to pay American taxes on his winnings. Likewise, while an internationally-based poker room could be required to pay US taxes on the portion of their profits derived from US players (just like any other multi-national corporation), they could not be forced to pay taxes on non-US profits, which would require calculating the amount of each rake, for every hand, for every player in that hand who is a US citizen. Complicated, yes?

This is an issue affecting all online business transactions, but poker seems to be the largest and most potentially profitable (or unprofitable) for the US Treasury. I think they are really hoping to push out the international poker rooms in favor of US-owned ones, so they can get all their taxes neatly tied up.

I wouldn't be surprised to see passage of a bill which classified online poker rooms as being operated on US soil if owned by a US company, which would allow them to require the deduction of US taxes on any withdrawals regardless of the country of origin of the recipient.

Frankly, I don't care how they do the taxes. Just give me back mah Pokah!!

EDIT: In the interest of not fearmongering, let me specify ... give me back mah PokahStahs!

Fulll tilt was shut down but back on now. Was this a sick late april 1st joke

i wonder if those site will reopen for us players?

Shamelessly stolen from a post on another forum, but pretty much what I was thinking:

The big lie of the United States is that we are "the freest nation in the world". My wife even repeated that to me last night as I was bemoaning our collective fate.

The trouble with the statement is that it's categorically false. It has been shown many times now that, by regulation count and other metrics, the United States is well behind a number of developed countries in the "free" standings. At last count, I believe we were ranked around 20th...

For this reason and others, I have long been looking for a place outside the US to which we could expatriate. Conversations I have with others indicate they're thinking similarly. I wonder how many more bombs like this the feds can lob before there's a mass exodus of the country's producers.

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this political. I'm just searching for an adjective to describe my feelings towards our government right now, and "disgusted" isn't remotely strong enough.

Well this is what we get for allowing ourselves to be pawned by a two party poker system. Vote third party!!! Stop letting a country designed to be more free be swallowed by a party poker system. Its a waste of your vote as a rational human being to vote two party!!!

WTF is going on? Is this an elaborate hoax by FT haters the FBI? FT is working now but now im 2 scared to put money on full tilt poker in case it shuts down. online poker is a big gamble anyway with internet connection and fixing now this BS.

Yes Tilt is up and working but you can't do anything but play "play money" games.

Now what? Settle down, ban together and enjoy the good life.

I think it's funny that Zorfox included the ironic misspelling above. The Feds certainly are "banning" together. (I think he meant "band together.")

The rest of his rant sure seemed like a Glenn Beck type end-of-the-world tirade.

Just remember, the "Poker Players Bill of Rights" was making it's way through congress just fine until the idiots from the Tea Party showed up and killed it.

You are 100% absolutely correct.

It may be time to put the list of sites that allow US Players in a "Members Only" area. They may not want a light flashed on them right now.

Agreed. And the fat cat bankers who bilked US citizens for billions walked away free and clear. This is what we've become vvv

I am a Canadian citizen. The Full Tilt Poker site had a shut down post up and is open for business for everyone except Us player

"The land of the free"

... but only if you pay for it....

OMG. I hope in Germany doesn´t happen the same f* thing...

Agreed. And the fat cat bankers who bilked US citizens for billions walked away free and clear.