Sportsbook.com and Playersonly.com, two large U.S. friendly online poker sites on the Merge Poker Network are leaving the U.S. market. This action is most likely in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s seizure of three online poker sites; PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com and Absolute Poker, who have stopped accepting players from the United States. Sportsbook is one of the oldest and most trusted gaming companies in the world so it comes as no surprise that they would want to protect their business.
While Sportsbook and Players Only poker sites will be closed to new traffic from US players, they will continue to service players who currently have accounts or who sign up for new accounts before May 1, 2011. So we strongly suggest that all players from the US sign up today even if they don’t plan to use the account any time soon. Both poker sites have excellent processing and both are Mac compatible US poker sites.
This is a a huge blow to the online poker community since April 15, 2011. Some of our sources have suggested that other major online poker sites are planning to exit the U.S. market as well.
Stay tuned to the Holdem Poker Chat for more information about this and everything else that’s taking place in poker. Should you be readn this after May 1st, have a look at our top poker sites still accepting players from the US.
It’s been 2 weeks since the online poker world was shocked by the indictments handed down by the US DoJ on four of the largest online poker sites in the world. Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker immediately stopped allowing US players to play for real money on their websites. Absolute Poker and UB seem to have decided to ignore the DoJ and continue on almost as if nothing happened. Players on Absolute Poker and UB cannot, however, deposit or cashout at the moment.
Much has happened in the last two weeks. Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker have regained the use of their .com domains to facilitate cash outs for US based players. Pokerstars surprised many this week as they began cash outs for US players. Some have already received their bank direct transfers. Given the circumstances this is quite fast. Pokerstars still does not know how it will pay out FPP’s. Tournament Dollars and tickets are being converted into cash at 100%.
Full Tilt Poker on the other hand is having major banking issues not only for it’s US based poker players but also for Non US players. Many European Full Tilt Poker players have been waiting well over a week for Moneybookers and Neteller withdrawals and some have even questioned if Full Tilt Poker is now bankrupt. Full Tilt Poker has issued a statement claiming that they are “Not Bankrupt”.
Meanwhile smaller poker sites have seen tremendous growth over the last couple of weeks. The Merge Poker Network with includes such poker sites as Lock Poker and Carbon Poker have led the way and even climbed into a top 10 position overall for global poker traffic. Bodog Poker is not far behind as they too have experienced growth. All in all, any poker site still accepting US players has had a spike in traffic.
When people want something, businesses arise to fill the demand. How much more so when the activity, online poker, is not even clearly illegal?
If the commercial goods or services are not legal, then by definition, the organizations will be criminal. Prohibition created modern organized crime, by outlawing alcoholic beverages.
When Prohibition was repealed, organized crime turned to things people wanted but could not get legally: prostitution, drugs and gambling.
When legal gambling began to spread, with insufficient safeguards to keep out the bad guys, organized crime used its experience to infiltrate.
Over the years and around the world, governments realized they had few options. The only way to completely outlaw gambling would be to crack down on players almost as hard as operators. This is not politically possible in a democracy.
Since prohibition does not work, the next best choice is to legalize gambling and put in strict regulations.
The federal government of the United States has decided to ignore these lessons of history and take the worst aspects of the choices available.
Every action by the federal government makes it more difficult for it to go after the next operator. The UIGEA, rammed through by the failed politician Bill Frist (R.-TN), scared all of the publicly traded gaming companies out of the U.S. market. Then prosecutors went after payment processors, making it more difficult for players to find legitimate ways to send their money to betting sites.
Now the feds have seized .com domain names and charged operators with bank fraud. So, gaming sites are switching to .eu and .uk, and cutting off all physical contact with the U.S. Even the present American operators can’t be extradited, so what hope is there for the DoJ to bring future foreign operators here to stand trial?
The criminal indictment against PokerStars, Full Tilt, Absolute and their founders, was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney for New York on April 15. Why now?
Maybe this just happened to be when the cases came together, when investigators had verified all the information about bank accounts they got almost exactly a year before. Daniel Tzvetkoff was arrested in April 2010, apparently turned in by these very same websites for embezzling tens of millions of dollars while doing payment processing.
So, maybe it was merely a coincidence that recent developments had given Internet poker an air of respectability, a feeling that legalization was inevitable. Nevada regulators approved Caesars Entertainment’s partnership with 888, a company that used to take bets from the U.S. Steve Wynn upped the stakes by announcing a joint venture with PokerStars, which was still accepting American poker players. The Nevada Assembly Judiciary Committee approved a bill to regulate online poker. And the District of Columbia actually made it legal.
The DoJ has been waging a war of intimidation against Internet gambling for years, successfully scaring players, operators, payment processors and affiliates into abandoning the American market. Lacking the two essentials to any prosecution – a statute that clearly makes the activity illegal and a defendant physically present in the U.S. – the feds have announced showy legal action against easy targets about every other year.
Online poker is not an easy target, since a federal Court of Appeal ruled the Wire Act is limited to bets on sports events. And tricking financial institutions into processing poker payments seems a technicality, especially since the banks made millions without ever facing any criminal charges or even paying a penny in fines. Talk about a victimless crime!
But getting a Utah bank to agree to process gambling transactions in return for a $10 million investment is an easier case, if true. The bank was so small that the officer and part-owner who allegedly arranged the deal, asked for, and received, only $20,000 for his “bonus.”
Even if there was a bribe, the feds are still going to have to prove that the poker was illegal. Since the Wire Act won’t work, prosecutors used 18 U.S.C. 1955, which makes it a federal felony if five or more people do more than $2,000 in business a day in violation of state gambling laws. The indictment relies on “New York Penal Law 225 and 225.05 and the laws of other states.” There is an obvious problem with using a state misdemeanor to charge federal felonies against foreign corporations licensed by foreign countries.
The DoJ also included a “thank you” to the Washington State Gambling Commission, indicating that the DoJ is probably going to piggyback on that state’s 2006 law outlawing all Internet gambling, as well. At least Washington state makes Internet gambling a felony.
Still, there are problems. State laws are presumed not to reach beyond their borders. And even if Internet poker is illegal in that state, it is quite a leap to seize domain names for the entire country and threaten bank accounts in places like Panama.
The only state with a law better than Washington’s is Nevada, because it expressly says it reaches beyond the borders of the state. But basing this attack on Internet poker on Nevada law would look like it was motivated by the landbased casinos. After all, who are the big winners here?
The operators will never stand trial, unless they voluntarily return to the U.S. or make some other mistake. The only U.S. extradition treaty I have found that covers illegal gambling is with Hong Kong. Calling it bank fraud won’t work, since the defendants can show their local courts that it is based on gambling. And the activity must be illegal in both countries. No nation will extradite an individual to be tried for the very activity that that nation licenses.
But what is the federal government accomplishing with going after foreign licensed poker operators?
The DoJ is raking in lots of dough for itself. For example, it received $405 million from PartyGaming and one of its founders, without even filing any criminal charges. And Party Poker had pulled out of the U.S. years earlier.
Certainly the prosecutors are scaring a lot of people and making it difficult for average citizens to even get their money to a foreign site, let alone place and collect a bet. But when the public relations campaign turned against it, the DoJ quickly backed down.
The DoJ’s seizure of .com names around the world, even in countries where online poker is 100% legal, led to international outrage. It also creates a dangerous precedent. Can an Islamic country, which outlaws alcohol, seize the worldwide domain names of every retailer that advertises beer or wine?
And the DoJ made it nearly impossible for players to get their deposits back. Even in the U.S., there is no federal law against merely playing poker on the Internet.
Five days after Black Friday, the DoJ announced that an agreement had been reached with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The companies will be permitted to operate money games outside of the U.S., which they always had the legal right to do anyway. American players will be able to go to the .com sites and get their deposits back.
The problem for the DoJ is that prohibition is not regulation. Getting rid of publicly traded operators created a vacuum that was quickly filled by companies whose owners were difficult to trace. Scaring away well-known poker names means that newcomers, some of whom will undoubtedly be sleazy, will take their places. If the multi-billion-dollar U.S. online poker market becomes too hot for licensed companies, operators without any licenses, who won’t even reveal what country they are in, will be glad to run the games.
Meanwhile, like a raid by Elliot Ness on bootleggers and speakeasies during Prohibition, there are now wonderful opportunities for individuals you would not want to meet in a dark alley.
Unless, of course, Americans are actually going to stop playing poker on the Internet.
Due to the recent happenings in online poker it’s understandable that players, especially those coming from the four sites that were seized by the Department of Justice, may feel a bit uneasy about playing online. Despite popular belief, it’s not illegal to play online poker, even from the United States. The legal issue isn’t regarding the players, it’s totally legal to still enjoy a game of online poker from your home while betting and winning real money.
While players are waiting for the dust to settle regarding Black Friday, there are a lot of questions regarding where they can play safely, and securely. There are quite a few sites online still available to provide US players with quality poker entertainment. The names and brands aren’t as big as the four rooms that were forced to stop serving the USA, however; the quality of game play, bonus offers and loyalty rewards are comparable. Click Here for a list of Poker Sites Accepting US Players
The traffic may also be a bit smaller in comparison, but that is also expected to change as players discover the alternatives to Full Tilt, PokerStars, Absolute and UB.com. The game variety at these legal US poker sites is just as good as the games players are used to at the previously mentioned sites, just a bit of a difference in layout, game availability and other not so notable changes.
The banking options to fund accounts are still available through these poker rooms still catering to the US player, and withdrawing is still hassle free. There are many sites that are welcoming USA players coming from other rooms, but it’s best that players use caution when choosing online poker rooms.
It may take players a while to get used to the idea of not playing at their favourite poker sites, however; the fact that there are still some quite reputable, popular and legal sites to play online should be reason enough for players to go all in and do what they love to do and continue to play poker online.
Here are a few legal online poker rooms still serving USA players:
Since Black Friday, the online poker forums like ours have been breaking all-time traffic records. It seems that anyone with accounts on any of the Big 3 have wanted to come and share their story. While it is great to see that so many people are motivated, there are, in fact, better ways to spend the energy.
It is nice to hear stories and know each of us are not alone in our struggle to figure out where to go in this New World Order, but that does not bring about change. Many of the things that the Big 3 were doing were wrong and illegal, by the letter of the law. They knew of these laws, and knew the whole time that they were breaking them. In order for things to recover, governmental regulation will be necessary to pick up the pieces.
But, how do our legislators know that we, as a public, want this to happen? How do they know that our outcry is so large, that so many people are affected? I doubt too many spend their days idly browsing the numerous poker forums on the net.
Since the indictments, it has been reported that over 70,000 letters have been sent to various governmental officials related to the changes in the poker world. While it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that your voice does not count, those who wrote those letters did not. What did their actions accomplish? Simply visit any of the Big 3 and you will see that have all reclaimed their domain names, that the DoJ has promised to help facilitate cash-outs. This shows just how much power a vocal group can have.
If you want to see changes, if you want your Congressman to know what you think on the issue, write to them! That is the only way that Congress can know what you want, can ever hear your voice. Take a few minutes and take what you were about to write here at Holdem Poker Chat and make it so your voice will be heard by those who can make a difference.
Pokerstars is now processing cashouts for all US players with a savings or checking account. Just log into your account and you will be greeted with a popup message with instructions.
They are giving 100% value for T$ automatically when you go to withdraw (for US players)
A Direct Bank Transfer is a cashout method that allows you to receive your winnings by having them credited directly to your bank account.
Please make sure you provide the information below on the previous screen:
Your Bank Account Number: This is the number of your bank account.
Your ABA routing number: The ABA routing number is a nine digit bank code, used in the United States, which appears on the bottom of negotiable instruments such as checks identifying the financial institution on which it was drawn.
Your Checking Account (C) or Savings Account (S) This is your bank account type. Enter “C” (without the quotes) for checking accounts or “S” (without the quotes) for savings accounts.
No word yet on how players without bank accounts will be paid.
If you run into any problems you can send them an email @ cashier1@pokerstars.eu
This is a compilation of information from PokerStars on the recent withdrawal from the United States market.
Statement from PokerStars on why USA players can no longer play for real money:
On 15 April 2011, PokerStars ceased providing real-money poker to residents of the United States and related territories. Real money play and deposits by US residents are strictly prohibited.
An agreement has been reached with the US Department of Justice to allow United States PokerStars customers to cashout their funds. PokerStars will work diligently to expedite those withdrawals. All PokerStars player deposits are completely safe.
Players from the United States can continue to play on our site for play money only. New players who wish to create an account will need to do so using our play-money-only software.
Why USA players could not access the web page or support email
The Justice department seized all the .com name including access to the .com support address. As part of a deal with the Department of Justice, USA players can now, again, access any of the .com sites including the support email address.
Can I get my Money?
PokerStars has reached an agreement with DoJ to refund players their money. Because the recent issue removed all of the old processing structure, at this time, the cashout option in the cashier is disabled. It will be enabled when a new system is put in place. PokerStars says that getting funds to players is their top priority.
Cashouts that were requested before April 15, 2011 will be cancelled and returned to players accounts. Players can view the cashier, but US players cannot transfer to other players. Any tournaments tickets or T$ will be converted to cash, though PokerStars stresses that this will not happen immediately and asks for patience. At this time, PokerStars has yet to work out a fair plan for monetary consideration in exchange for FPPs.
All US Players who were registered in future tournaments have been unregistered and their buyins have been refunded to their accounts.
Trying to get around the restrictions
I am sure many of you are scheming or hoping there is a way to get around the new order of things. PokerStars has answered some of those common thoughts.
Players thinking they can just change their address to a new country need to know that just changing their address does not allow them to play for real money again. PokerStars needs copies of photo identification as well as a recent utility bill showing your new physical address. If you can prove that you have left the USA, your account balance will be restored to you, including VIP status and your FPP balance. You cannot play for real money by just taking a trip outside the country. Accounts are blocked until you show proof of new address.
If you cook up some IP rerouting scheme like a VPN, PokerStars says they will revoke your privileges for trying.
Foreigners traveling to the United States will not be allowed to play on PokerStars while in the US.
US players can buy into PokerStars live events using their real money account balances, providing they have the money already in their accounts. They cannot deposit the money and then use it to play the event. PokerStars live events like European Poker Tour will proceed as planned. Players from the United States who have won packages to these events will still be allowed to play.
With the US closure of the biggest online poker sites we’ve been on the look out for who the next big poker sites will be and the list is not as long as some would think. In this New World Order there a few online poker sites that have begun to stand out from the rest. Given all the changes we’ve also decided to add a few new sites to our list of approved poker sites.
Our decisions have been made with safety first in mind. We know that poker players are looking for a safe poker site to play on. With that in mind the first thing we’ve looked into is financial strength. Another major factor in our decisions has been their processing. A poker site may have good funding and good software but if players can’t deposit and withdraw with relative ease then they are no good to anyone. We’ve used every means at our disposal to gather up this information and feel that the sites listed below are the cream of the crop.
In analyzing online poker traffic reports the Merge Poker Network, which includes such poker sties as, Carbon Poker, Lock Poker and Sportsbook Poker are growing the fastest. But if you look at just the US player base at prime time hours it’s Bodog Poker and sites on the Cake Poker Network which include Cake Poker and InterAction Poker that are doing the best. InterAction is the only site we have listed that is currently processing eChecks.
Like you, we do not know which poker site or sites will become the next Pokerstars or Full Tilt Poker. We’re guessing that all of the sites mentioned above will continue to see tremendous growth and that they will all be making adjustments in the coming months to better serve player needs and wants. Make sure to check Holdem Poker Chat for all the latest news and updates on the safest USA Poker Sites to play on.
The online poker industry may have been turned upside down, but there are still many options for USA players to get on the table action that only a game of online poker can provide. There are many alternatives to the poker rooms which were seized by the US government, and this is only a piece of the online poker action. Players are understandably unsure about placing their trust and money into yet another site, in case something may happen in the future. It seems like Black Friday isn’t going to have an effect on other online poker rooms, not the smaller fish anyway.
The Poker Networks and Poker Sites listed below have been slowly increasing their poker tournament guarantees. Over the last week they have experienced up to 400% growth in traffic. It’s only a matter of time before one or two of them become the preferred online poker sites in the U.S..
Bodog Poker is one of the oldest and most respected names in online gaming. Their sportsbook business insures a steady flow of loose players at the poker tables. Bodog offers some of the highest GTD tournaments available to players from the US. The initial deposit bonus of 110% up to $1,100 is as good as it gets for online poker sites. No bonus code is needed to get this great bonus.
Merge Gaming Network, the network behind poker rooms like Lock Poker, Players Only Poker and Carbon Poker, are still ready and willing to give USA players all the action they crave in an online poker setting. The tournaments, the features and the excitement are comparable to the others that were seized, without the big brand name. There are many reasons players should choose Merge for their new online poker playing needs, and there are many ongoing promotions to welcome new players, so everybody wins. The traffic to these rooms are building up, understandably so, and soon there will be even more players that will add to the entertainment value that only online poker can bring.
Other networks like Cake Poker, Everleaf and other smaller platforms are also bringing players unique and generous promotions, tournaments, ring-games and impressive prize pools. They are currently open to new USA registrations, and players coming from other poker rooms will be treated like VIPs.
Players should remember, just because the government cracked down on these poker rooms and seized domains, does that in anyway mean that it’s illegal to play poker online, even from the United States. The UIGEA isn’t there to punish players for playing a few hands of Holdem; the law is in place and only is enforced against online gaming operators and processors. In fact, not one arrest has ever been made for a player playing online poker. This is just a misconception and players should not let it hinder their game play, until there is an actual law in place.
Hopefully in the near future, we as players will not have to worry about the Department of Justice breathing down our necks every time we want to go all in. That is just the way it is right now, and we all hope that it’s only temporary. While they do have control over domain seizures and indictments, they have no control over our decisions, and if you enjoy the game of online poker and you live in the USA, it’s imperative for players to know they still have options.
It’s now been 5 days since “Black Friday” and Absolute Poker and UBPoker are still open for real money play in the US. All deposits and withdrawals have been temporarily suspended but players who have funded accounts are still playing online poker.
We’ve contacted the operators of Absolute Poker and UB Poker asking for a comment or announcement and we’re constantly told that there is nothing to announce yet.
We’re starting to get he feeling that Absolute Poker and UBPoker may be looking at ways to continue to serve the US. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and keep you up to date but for now, They are Open for real money play.
Our list of USA Poker Sites has other poker sites that are still serving the U.S.
Sportsbook.com and Playersonly.com, two large U.S. friendly online poker sites on the Merge Poker Network are leaving the U.S. market. This action is most likely in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s seizure of three online poker sites; PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com and Absolute Poker, who have stopped accepting players from the United States. Sportsbook is one of the oldest and most trusted gaming companies in the world so it comes as no surprise that they would want to protect their business.
It’s been 2 weeks since the online poker world was shocked by the indictments handed down by the US DoJ on four of the largest online poker sites in the world. Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker immediately stopped allowing US players to play for real money on their websites. Absolute Poker and UB seem to have decided to ignore the DoJ and continue on almost as if nothing happened. Players on Absolute Poker and UB cannot, however, deposit or cashout at the moment.
When people want something, businesses arise to fill the demand. How much more so when the activity, online poker, is not even clearly illegal?
Due to the recent happenings in online poker it’s understandable that players, especially those coming from the four sites that were seized by the Department of Justice, may feel a bit uneasy about playing online. Despite popular belief, 
Since Black Friday, the 
Pokerstars is now processing cashouts for all US players with a savings or checking account. Just log into your account and you will be greeted with a popup message with instructions.
With the US closure of the biggest online poker sites we’ve been on the look out for who the next big poker sites will be and the list is not as long as some would think. In this New World Order there a few online poker sites that have begun to stand out from the rest. Given all the changes we’ve also decided to add a few new sites to our list of approved poker sites.
The online poker industry may have been turned upside down, but there are still many options for USA players to get on the table action that only a game of online poker can provide. There are many alternatives to the poker rooms which were seized by the US government, and this is only a piece of the online poker action. Players are understandably unsure about placing their trust and money into yet another site, in case something may happen in the future. It seems like Black Friday isn’t going to have an effect on other online poker rooms, not the smaller fish anyway.
It’s now been 5 days since “Black Friday” and Absolute Poker and UBPoker are still open for real money play in the US. All deposits and withdrawals have been temporarily suspended but players who have funded accounts are still playing online poker.