If this was real news...we"d all be talking about it already.
it"s real, but they are trying to sieze the servers, not the funds. hard when the servers are offshore !
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Jon MW on April 15, 2011, 20:59:51 PM
It"s widely reported.
The sites indicted can"t get away from it because it sounds like they"re bang to rights on the fraud and money laundering counts.
I expect a massive fine, huge amounts for them to buy US State licenses and us finally actually losing all the Americans from Stars and Tilt; but very little disruption.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Paulie_D on April 15, 2011, 21:23:37 PM
Of course, PS aren"t technically affected affected as they have no US assets...but they"ll still want to play ball.
I predict an "undisclosed" settlement.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: SirPercival on April 15, 2011, 23:15:36 PM
LOL
[youtube=425,350][/youtube]
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: George2Loose on April 16, 2011, 03:24:44 AM
Stars has withdrawn from the US market. Pretty big day for online poker and poker in general
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Paulie_D on April 16, 2011, 06:38:38 AM
If this was real news...we"d all be talking about it already.
Wrong as a wrong thing in Wrongland. ::)
Meh!
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: showdown on April 16, 2011, 08:13:41 AM
Just read about this myself if you go to www.pokerstars.com or www.fulltiltpoker.com the domains have been seized by the FBI and all you see is a warning by them.
Its cash play as normal on these sites for non US residents although this obviously effects the game quality and quantity of online players.
Crazy times.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Jon MW on April 16, 2011, 08:34:44 AM
Pokerstars has switched to Pokerstars has switched to pokerstars.eu
I also just read this article in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/technology/16poker.html?_r=3&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/technology/16poker.html?_r=3&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26) which suggests that this is a precedent setting case to test the reach of the US legal system.
In the full indictment though there is provision that if any part of the company they"re after is outside of their control (like the foreign bank accounts and offshore servers for example) then they can seize the equivalent value. i.e. if they want to destroy FTP and Stars, they probably will be able to do so.
But everything about the American legal and political system is based on money, I"m sticking to my initial hunch that this will mainly be about squeezing as much money as they can without shutting them down.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: WYoung83 on April 16, 2011, 10:00:27 AM
All ring games on stars are fixed limit for some reason now. Really bad day for poker.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Bartyuk on April 16, 2011, 10:25:10 AM
Cant get into fulltilt.com but can load fulltilt.org and fulltilt.net but have no money in the cashier now, just play money and coupons :(
Peace
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: AAroddersAA on April 16, 2011, 10:27:31 AM
All ring games on stars are fixed limit for some reason now. Really bad day for poker.
????
There are still no limit cash games games, six max and full ring. Nothing seems to have changed, although I might check out the tournaments with guarantees tonight, they could be a little softer than normal?
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: undisputed on April 16, 2011, 11:18:19 AM
All ring games on stars are fixed limit for some reason now. Really bad day for poker.
????
There are still no limit cash games games, six max and full ring. Nothing seems to have changed, although I might check out the tournaments with guarantees tonight, they could be a little softer than normal?
They may be a little softer, but on the whole not much will change, the tournies that will lose runners will be from 11pm onwards, and was little/no overlay last night, and the guarantees will all be lowered accordingly, hence last nights DAILY HUNDRED GRAND..... BEING THE DAILY FIFTY GRAND.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: WYoung83 on April 16, 2011, 11:32:08 AM
yeh, it was just my filters had been changed for some reason.
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Waz1892 on April 16, 2011, 11:39:35 AM
so is the money laundering and fruad charges a Jumped up phrase by the US justice dept, or have the poker sites being a bit naughty and greedy? - Don"t they make enough money?
Seems mad that they would fall foul to US law as it is so tight on this kind of thing. Is it genuine breaking the law, or the US going after the sites as they don"t like them etc.
What do we think if at all it will effect live tournaments, sponsorship etc?
Is our money safe..if they get closed? don"t fully understand any implications...
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: duke3016 on April 16, 2011, 11:54:51 AM
so is the money laundering and fruad charges a Jumped up phrase by the US justice dept, or have the poker sites being a bit naughty and greedy? - Don"t they make enough money?
There were getting round the no deposit in the US rule, not shafting the players as such.
quote from the NYT
The online poker operators sought to avoid detection by banks and legal authorities by funneling payments through fictitious online businesses that purported to sell jewelry, golf balls and other items, according to the indictment. It says that when some banks processed the payments, they were unaware of the real nature of the business, but the site operators also bribed banks into accepting the payments.
Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that the defendants "concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits."
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Waz1892 on April 16, 2011, 11:59:48 AM
so is the money laundering and fruad charges a Jumped up phrase by the US justice dept, or have the poker sites being a bit naughty and greedy? - Don"t they make enough money?
There were getting round the no deposit in the US rule, not shafting the players as such.
quote from the NYT
The online poker operators sought to avoid detection by banks and legal authorities by funneling payments through fictitious online businesses that purported to sell jewelry, golf balls and other items, according to the indictment. It says that when some banks processed the payments, they were unaware of the real nature of the business, but the site operators also bribed banks into accepting the payments.
Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that the defendants "concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits."
Ty, So you assume then that they knew they"d get caught in the end and so have contingous planned built in..ie/ money to pay the fine! and a scape goat for the authorties to have someone to be accountable for?!
Tried to get on to FT, but an update needs to be downloaded (isn"t there always new software!!) but it won"t run it, Stars is fine tho. Was going to run away from FT......
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: duke3016 on April 16, 2011, 12:15:33 PM
uninstall fulltilt from your PC go to fulltilt.org and download the software from there log on
(good luck with any withdrawals) ::)
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: AAroddersAA on April 16, 2011, 13:25:11 PM
uninstall fulltilt from your PC go to fulltilt.org and download the software from there log on
(good luck with any withdrawals) ::)
I have installed .net and .org and both let me login but cashier only shows play money and tickets... And the lobby just shows play money games. Im abit weary of uninstalling .com as you cant get onto .com site to download it again. I have a couple friends that get on ok but mine wont do the update :(
Have emailed support will wait to see what they say... If anything.....gulp...
Peace
Title: Re: Is this a wind up or the real deal
Post by: Lankylad on April 16, 2011, 14:34:46 PM
I withdrew my money last night as soon as this news broke, when everything was still pretty much normal on .com
It"s a case of sitting tight now i s"pose and see if they honour the withdrawal. In one sense i can"t see how they can"t as I myself have done nothing worng, but i don"t hold much hope atm :-[
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: AMRN on April 16, 2011, 18:29:29 PM
FFS what a load of tripe. The industry wouldn"t exist if it weren"t for the millions of people who participate. The only people to suffer by this are those people who CHOOSE to spend money playing online poker.
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: AAroddersAA on April 16, 2011, 19:25:29 PM
FFS what a load of tripe. The industry wouldn"t exist if it weren"t for the millions of people who participate. The only people to suffer by this are those people who CHOOSE to spend money playing online poker.
AGREE 101%. Ridiculous.
But I don"t see a huge problem for the UK market. I am pretty sure the cashouts will be fine as well its just going to take a while to iron itself out, The servers are not in the US. I"m not even bothering to cash out of Stars, although it"s not like I have thousands on there.
Sites like 888.com and Betfair will be OK anyway so online poker in the UK will unaffected, for players of our level at least.
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: Bartyuk on April 16, 2011, 19:26:27 PM
If anyone cant login to Fulltilt download from .co.uk and it applies the update ;)
Peace
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: Swinebag on April 17, 2011, 01:33:45 AM
If anyone cant login to Fulltilt download from .co.uk and it applies the update ;)
Peace
I just logged on as normal
war
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: oneill1970 on April 19, 2011, 00:45:46 AM
Only found out about this tonight when my inbox contained many generous offers from various sites all of a sudden! It seems that the US players are gone for the time being until a, ahem, "settlement" can be reached.
I"d be interested to know what people think about the following - when the US players return in - say - two years, for return they willl (money"s a wonderful thing), will the standard have dropped significantly, given that they"ll have had no access to online play? Or will it be better, given that the pros will be back, but the casual players will have dropped out..?
Any opinions?
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: mfcrocker on April 19, 2011, 09:18:48 AM
Only found out about this tonight when my inbox contained many generous offers from various sites all of a sudden! It seems that the US players are gone for the time being until a, ahem, "settlement" can be reached.
I"d be interested to know what people think about the following - when the US players return in - say - two years, for return they willl (money"s a wonderful thing), will the standard have dropped significantly, given that they"ll have had no access to online play? Or will it be better, given that the pros will be back, but the casual players will have dropped out..?
Any opinions?
The latter in my opinion unless the sites can pull off a marketing coup. It will require the manufacturing of a second poker boom for the games to get softer
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: The Mook on April 19, 2011, 22:44:02 PM
I"d be interested to know what people think about the following - when the US players return in - say - two years, for return they willl (money"s a wonderful thing), will the standard have dropped significantly, given that they"ll have had no access to online play? Or will it be better, given that the pros will be back, but the casual players will have dropped out..?
Any opinions?
The US currently have access to online play - Bodog, Cake, Carbon et al although apparently depositing on any is proving difficult and how long there are these options for the US who knows. In say a couple of years, if online poker is regulated in the US, it will be a poker boom! Many new players trying it in a safe, secure environment and hopefully we are allowed to take their money :D.
In the short term it will be interesting to see if Party can challenge Stars for top dog, particularly if BWin players merge with party.
Title: Re: FT & PS: US Legal Action
Post by: mfcrocker on April 21, 2011, 09:03:23 AM