Subject Poker: “DOJ Plans Action Against Merge”

Tenaciousplayer

Tenaciousplayer

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PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE - CHANGE WILL NOT COME UNLESSYOU GET INVOLVED, PLEASE READ:
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has ASKED for questions via Twitter for an upcoming town hall. You can send him pro-poker questions in under thirty seconds:


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I also wish to discuss the ongoing issue with player funds locked up at Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, and Full Tilt Poker. As someone with around five figures locked up on Full Tilt Poker, I certainly empathize with the situation.

PPA has issued statements demanding that Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, and Absolute Poker refund player balances. Additionally, PPA representatives – including me – have made statements in several interviews with various poker media sources with demands for repayment. PPA does not accept the Department of Justice fund seizures as an excuse. We have also publicly praised PokerStars for doing the right thing in refunding its U.S. players.

Additionally, PPA’s legal team prepared a legal analysis of the options available to individual players who still have not been able to access their online poker funds held on account. The document — “Legal Rights of Players with Unpaid Balances – A PPA Information Guide” — provides our membership with facts and information about steps individuals can seek to take to claim their online poker account balances.

That being said, PPA is neither a regulatory body nor an enforcement agency. We are a player advocacy group, so our ability to force these sites to comply with our calls for action is limited. In fact, this is why PPA is pushing for legislation that gives us the rights we need as players.

The PPA-supported legislation now in Congress focuses strongly on consumer protection. It mandates protected and segregated player accounts, a U.S. presence (to allow for law enforcement action if needed), and many other provisions that protect our rights as players.

I am hopeful that reports of potential suitors lined up to purchase Full Tilt Poker, along with the recent enforcement actions by their regulators, will help generate positive steps toward player repayment. Full Tilt Poker recently released a statement on this. While it is noncommittal, it is moderately encouraging that they are again speaking publicly on the issue:​
 
ferratus

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Obviously its business as usual on Merge. I received an email today from Pokerview that they are joining the Merge Network..
 
Dreams of Tragedy

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Obviously its business as usual on Merge. I received an email today from Pokerview that they are joining the Merge Network..
yeah i got the same thing too, scared about this cause if the DOJ does do this then my #1 poker site now is done.
 
dj11

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Almost 5 months now. Seems like forever.

Someone who follows this like a hawk remind me. Was there ever an arraignment? Or has everything been handled behind closed doors?

My bet as of now is that all of the seized fund in payment processors hands, is gone. Largely due to promises to lawyers that any released funds would cover the legal fees.

I would call for the DoJ to notify every person whose funds it has seized. This slippage into the netherworld shit is wrong on every single level any of us can imagine. Smacks of fascism.
 
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bigpick76

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I already did a withdrawal request a couple of weeks ago at Lock - it is still pending approval even though I got a message saying it was approved.
im not for sure but i heard that withdrawals on merge are taking around 3 months
 
ROYALKNIGHT

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im not for sure but i heard that withdrawals on merge are taking around 3 months


I think to wait 3 months is absurb. And I heard there was a $15 fee for checks or something . Merge must have to go through several loop holes and hide from DOJ in finding a processor to cash out. Me being from US, I will not deposit. If I ever do withdraw I will wait til I get a few thousand and make a trade.
 
lcid86

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If they have the money separate and they pay out tourney coupons, I'll be very happy. I may be able to cashout and get a check w/o paying a high processing fee and wondering whether it will clear. I'm resigned to the fact that the existing sites are going to be shut down to US players before they legalize anything.
 
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JaredHubbard

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Actually Merge withdrawals are taking about 4 weeks. Cake withdrawals are taking 3 months. You may have had the 2 mixed up.
 
dj11

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I still wonder why the sites don't send out the checks on their own company checks. Involving a payment processor is causing them an astounding amount of trouble. It wreaks of shadiness and complicates everything.

My final check from Stars came on a Stars labeled check. No problem at all with it.
 
LarkMarlow

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My final check from Stars came on a Stars labeled check. No problem at all with it.

The same was true with the direct bank transfers they did.
 
pfb8888

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I still wonder why the sites don't send out the checks on their own company checks. Involving a payment processor is causing them an astounding amount of trouble. It wreaks of shadiness and complicates everything.

My final check from Stars came on a Stars labeled check. No problem at all with it.
the doj deal allowed pokerstars to give checks as a resolution...but normally banks arent allowed to cash checks from unapproved gambling sites....mostly they want to prohibit cash flowing out to these sites , not so much inflow
 
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ItaRazz07

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the doj deal allowed pokerstars to give checks as a resolution...but normally banks arent allowed to cash checks from unapproved gambling sites....mostly they want to prohibit cash flowing out to these sites , not so much inflow

You are either just completely wrong, or intentionally trying to mislead. The UIGEA does nothing but try to keep gambling companies from opening any accounts in the US, and receiving deposits. The UIGEA specifically exempts payouts and states there is no monitoring or laws for payouts. Any US player on a reliable site should have no problem cashing checks or receiving transfers. Anyone claiming otherwise either has a crappy bank, or is trying to scare off players.
 
IWinUlose

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Black Friday did me in and I knew this day was coming from 2006 it was just a matter of time no way to deposit and if you w/d from merge being from USA it is a check with a $15 charge which is BS and it takes forever to come. Merge all in due time will go down like the rest just give it time. They will not get away with what the others didn't. I don't friggin understand why online poker became a priority of the DOJ with all the BS going on in this world and when they signed UNIGEA back in 2006 we were in just as bad as shape as we are today welcome to the land of the FREE
 
pfb8888

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You are either just completely wrong, or intentionally trying to mislead. The UIGEA does nothing but try to keep gambling companies from opening any accounts in the US, and receiving deposits. The UIGEA specifically exempts payouts and states there is no monitoring or laws for payouts. Any US player on a reliable site should have no problem cashing checks or receiving transfers. Anyone claiming otherwise either has a crappy bank, or is trying to scare off players.
who are you and what rock have you been living under?
 
Debi

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I have never had an issue cashing any of my checks from any site.
 
ROYALKNIGHT

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I have never had an issue cashing any of my checks from any site.

Only one I had problem was power poker. It took 2 months and several emails on what was the hold up. And to me they were trying to avoid my concerns. But I did get my check for $500 and cashed with no problems.
 
darkassassin89

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I told you all this would, might, is possibly, could happen :p no on e believed me XD
 
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Well that suxs. I wonder how the other smaller sites that the DOJ went after was able to fend them off and still keep operating in the US?
 
darkassassin89

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with sticks and stones and they yelled "STICKS AND STONES WILL BREAK YOUR BONES!!!!"
 
OzExorcist

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Well that suxs. I wonder how the other smaller sites that the DOJ went after was able to fend them off and still keep operating in the US?

I imagine they've got a lot less to lose so they're just seeing how long they can keep getting away with it. Stars, for example, had a legitimate mega-million-dollar business in the rest of the world to protect. If a smaller site made almost all of its income from US players, however, they might think it was worth the risk to just keep operating.
 
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