The Times of London reported Sunday that subpoenas have been issued against at least 16 banks to hand over information concerning their dealings with several online poker sites. It seems the DoJ is targeting online sites that trade their stock publicly on the London Stock Exchange. Online poker companies that floated on the LSE include PartyGaming, 888 Holdings, and Empire Online.
The subpoenas were issued by the Southern District Court of New York, which is the same district that's bringing a case of money laundering against two former NETELLER founders. Click here for a past article on this.
According to the London Times, the subpoenas were issued only days after President Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act into law in October, and were recently reissued.
A representative of the court would only say he could neither confirm or deny the reports.A few of the banks targeted are HSBC, Dresdner Kleinwort, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank. The subpoenas asked for communication documents such as emails and telephone records concerning the online poker sites.
Please check back with CardPlayer.com for more details about this story as they emerge, and please click here to visit CardPlayer.com's special section on gambling legislation.
POSTED ON: Jan 23, 2007
I don't want to sound alarmist but here I go anyways. Eventually, just like that music download fiasco a few years ago, US players will be contacted regarding our violation of US laws pertaining to on-line gaming. A nominal fine will be inposed and we can choose to fight it our cough up the dough to Uncle Sam. How enforcable this may be we'll have to wait and see. I do know that once they're done with the bigs boys on top they start looking into us via our IP address. Maybe then, when pro pokers players with star power and other on-line players will move their weight in the right places. The rumor mill says that the US government has already asked for the IP information on US players from 888 and PartyGaming. When the rest follow suit we'll all be in this together. Good luck everyone.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
Dear Daniel, I am not a legal expert so I don't want to give you a wrong answer. As far as I'm concerned, you can send your check to PokerStar or WSEX for new deposit. By doing this, you may be breaking the law indirectly, but I wouldn't worry about it because a bank cannot track all your personal checks in which include that one going to the PokerStar. It will be able to oneday but at least not yet. Have you noticed that Western Union is still available? It is because it works just like a bank. figuratively, it will work today but it wouldn't tomorrow!!! POSTED BY: Daniel Naumann POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007 Hello, first of all this is my first post and I love this site. Ok so Pokerstars has come up with the following as their response to receiving checks from there site for US customers. If you'd like to receive a cheque directly from PokerStars, we process them four times per week (Monday through Thursday). Any cheques over $1,000.00 will be sent via courier at no extra cost. Cheques under $1,000.00 are sent via regular mail, but can be sent via courier at a cost of $25.00 if a player emails us and requests it. Cheques sent via courier usually arrive in 1-3 days after they're processed. Cheques sent via regular mail can take up to 15 business days to arrive. You can read more about our cheque withdrawal option at http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/real-money/checks/. If I were to take this option, would this be illegal on my behalf or the banks behalf while living in the United States? Any legal advice or links to legal advice would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
The reason this is happening in the first place and no one (Democrat or Republican) is doing anything about it is because too many of BOTH sides' moneyed constituency's children ran up 5-to-6-figure debts from their online jones, resulting in those parents complaining to the powers-that-be that online real money games of skill and chance perverts family values when in fact it is only their atrocious parenting (combined with poor mathematics education) that caused this. The core of family values is taking responsibility, and blaming online real money poker for their or their children's character deficiencies misses the point and solves nothing.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
The biggest problem with the ban is that the overseas companies (ie Neteller, the various poker sites like Pacific, Hollywood, etc) have broken NO laws, but have caved in rather than fight. This problem is not a Bush administration problem as this bill has been passing around going back to the Clinton administration and senators like John Kyl (Remember the Kyl Bill?). The main reason is not that gambling is immoral, but it is immoral to make money and not pay taxes according to the government. Until online sites stick up to the US Govt., they will continue their assault. Kind of like raising taxes on this and that and only the people getting taxed complain, that is until they come and tax YOU. By then its too late. Always vote against ANY tax and ALWAYS stand up for your rights.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
The subpoenas were issued "only days after" UIGE was signed? So much for the idea that this would take months to shake out. By the time that theory was issued here and elsewhere, the subpoenas were already out. Let's see... the current presidential administration: can't/won't get Bin Laden; can't/won't secure its borders; can't/won't secure Iraq's borders (no skills to transfer from the domestic non-effort); does nothing about the growing sex trade into and within the U.S.; could care less about a massive trade deficit with Communist China; is disinterested in shoring up its national security interests through the development of alternative fuel sources; but undertakes a top-prioritized multi-pronged international effort designed to quash the true threat to the nation, online real money poker in the U.S. Why? Just to show that it has the will to see one thing through to the end and regain some type of credibility or moral high ground? To paraphrase Mr. Cohen, "Throw the poker players down the well. Then our country will be free..."
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
James, alre4ady i the Wold Court, we lost and the UIGA was the answer to compliance. a NEW ruling is due any day / week nbow, the Bushies will lose again, THEN we shall see..... No, they are too arrogant to listen, they will just ignore it, again.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
There are five Indian Casinos within a 20 minute drive from my home, why should I have to waste time and gasoline driving to one of them to play Poker, when I can do so from the comfort of my easy chair. The Department of Justice’s Jihad against Internet Gambling is another example of Governmental “Smother Love” protecting me from myself. Internet gambling sites are multimillion dollar operations. To suggest they are involved in funneling money to terrorist groups are an absurd attempt to frighten the public and justify this witch hunt. This is a clear violation of International laws involving trade, and an invitation for Litigation against the Government in the World Court. <*)))))))))><
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
This is not just a war on online poker, the REAL targets are AMERICAN poker players, the otners are proxies being used to get US! STOP lookig for work arounds, they WILL NOT last. We MUST get involved and contact DAILY our reps in congress. WE MUST be heard, LOUD and CLEAR! OldBookGuy
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
Hello, first of all this is my first post and I love this site. Ok so Pokerstars has come up with the following as their response to receiving checks from there site for US customers. If you'd like to receive a cheque directly from PokerStars, we process them four times per week (Monday through Thursday). Any cheques over $1,000.00 will be sent via courier at no extra cost. Cheques under $1,000.00 are sent via regular mail, but can be sent via courier at a cost of $25.00 if a player emails us and requests it. Cheques sent via courier usually arrive in 1-3 days after they're processed. Cheques sent via regular mail can take up to 15 business days to arrive. You can read more about our cheque withdrawal option at http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/real-money/checks/. If I were to take this option, would this be illegal on my behalf or the banks behalf while living in the United States? Any legal advice or links to legal advice would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
Stick a fork in it, online gaming is done.
POSTED ON: Jan 22, 2007
absolutely digusting. now our holier-than-thou government thinks they can drag financial institutions in other countries under it's thumb? The banks they are targeting have broken no laws of their countries, and should not even respond to the DoJ.