POKER/GAMBLING NEWS

[phantom]

justice dept freezes $30million in online poker payments


http://huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/09/justice-deptartment-freeze_n_213461.html

[blueday]

This is part of that link

In a letter dated Friday and faxed to Alliance Bank, the prosecutor said accounts held by payment processor Allied Systems Inc. are subject to seizure and forfeiture "because they constitute property involved in money laundering transactions and illegal gambling offenses."

I have to say that the US are really taking this all just one step too far....money laundering for crying out loud.  What a joke.

blue

[lipstick_xoxos]

Hi Blue,

I think this is over the top. It is down right stealing money. They are afraid of illegal activity? Someone please tell me what they did is legal or moral.


Lips

[Shelli]

Hey guys,

I received this email today and wanted to share it with everyone.

As we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, we encourage you to take time to protect your freedom to play poker in all its forms with a few simple actions. Visit the National Poker Week website at www.nationalpokerweek.com to learn more about our efforts to protect your right to play poker whenever and wherever you want. On the National Poker Week website you can:

1. Sign the Poker Petition and join with thousands of other poker players to let President Obama know that you believe in personal freedom and want the rights of law abiding, poker-playing Americans protected.

2. Tell us your Poker Story—film a short, 30-second video (you can even use your cell phone!) and add your voice to the poker freedom movement!

3. Send a letter to Congress to protect your personal freedom and right to play poker at the time and place of your choosing.

Thank you for your continued efforts and have a Happy 4th of July.

Let our poker freedom ring!

Senator Alfonse D’Amato
PPA Chairman

The Poker Players Alliance
Dedicated to Protecting America's Favorite Card Game

 
 
 

[Mago666]

wow thats sucks 30million frozen  here u can play every u want but when u will made a whitdraw for 1000$ or more to ur Bank Account they frozen ur Account for 5 days

[lipstick_xoxos]

Judge Rules Online Poker Seizure Warrants Must Be Unsealed:

A filing by a gaming media company met with success today as a judge said warrants and affidavits used by the US Attorney's office to seize bank accounts related to online poker winnings had to be made public. The Department of Justice argued the documents needed to remain sealed to protect ongoing investigations, while Costigan Media, operator of Gambling911, contended the information legally had to be revealed.


Judge Laura Swain said the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York did not demonstrate compelling reason to keep the warrants sealed. She will allow key names to be redacted when the public copies are released.

US prosecutors had used warrants, some of which apparently were written after the fact, to grab the funds from several bank accounts used to channel money to US residents who had won at online poker rooms. As much as $40 million was taken, but players received money sent by the major Internet gambling sites to replace what the feds confiscated.

Joe Brennan of iMEGA says the judge did allow for the sealing of certain sections, most likely names of cooperating individuals and key witnesses. But he noted to Poker News Daily that the judge's order forces the DoJ to update her frequently, so that remaining information can be disclosed at an appropriate stage of the investigation.

“The Court is required to order disclosure absent compelling reasons to deny access and even then must employ the least restrictive means of doing so,” said Swain in her fourteen-page decision.

Lips

[blueday]

Hi Lips - thanks for the info..interesting stuff for sure.

Do you think that online gambling will come back for US players or do you think that is it?

blue

[lipstick_xoxos]

Hi Blue,

I think it will come back....in fact in my state...which is one of the restricted states....it was passed in the senate for on line poker and sportsbook betting.

It is now waiting for final say from our state governer. There seems to be these baby steps taken in other states as well. The door is cracked opened....where as a couple years ago it was slammed shut.

Lips

[blueday]

Thats great to hear Lips.  The sooner the better in my opinion.

blue

[blueday]

Interesting article here

blue

[lipstick_xoxos]

Hmmmmmmmm.............indeed.

[lipstick_xoxos]

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley declined to certify a petition to legalize online poker in the state.  The petition, titled, " An Act Relative to Establishing Regulated and Taxed Internet Poker in Massachusetts" was sponsored by Poker Players Alliance (PPA) state director Randall Castonguay.  According to the Attorney General's 2009-2010 Petitions website, the petition was rejected because it was "not in proper form."  According to PPA Executive Director John Pappas, Coakley's beef was that the petition uses the words "register" in one section and "license" in another when referring to financial services providers.  For some reason, Coakley was unable reconcile the two terms, feeling they made the topic of financial services providers too vague for voters to understand.  Despite a formal legal brief that showed why this concern was invalid, Coakley still did not certify the petition.

Lips

[lipstick_xoxos]

Poker keeps looking better all the time......

Bob Barr, the 2008 Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States, stated in an online column that support for internet gambling in the halls of Congress may be growing.  In the piece, which appeared on ajc.com, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website, Barr stated that while supporters of online gambling have historically argued that adults should be able to do what they want with their own money in the privacy of their own homes, the angle that is getting more attention now is the financial one.  Barr estimates, based on figures provided  by PricewaterhouseCoopers, that the small two percent tax on internet gambling deposits proposed by Rep. Barney Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation and Taxation Act would produce $51 million in revenue for the federal government over the next decade.  And in today's economy, this looks great to legislators.  Even some opponents, primarily brick-and-mortar casinos, are starting to come around, he said, as they realize that the more people get interested in gambling online, the more they may get interested in trying the games live in a casino.  While now a Libertarian, Barr served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia's 7th district, as a Republican.

Lips

[blueday]

Its all very interesting stuff.  What do you think the outcome will be Lips?

I ponder this quite often as I see more and more news about all the different things that are being said in favour of online gambling....using the tax for the health reform etc etc.

What are your views as to what the end result will be?

blue

[lipstick_xoxos]

Hi Blue,

With there being more focus on the potential $$ generated and less focus on potential gambling addicts and money laundering....there is finally some hope.

The revenue brought in from online gambling as whole, not just limited to Poker and Sports Books will really help the financial crisis that the US faces. 

With a deficit that is hard to even fathom must less to try to recover from....government is now taking a closer look. I am confident the laws are about to change.....they would be fools not to lift the restrictions.

Money talks.....and it will amazing to see the turn around in congress.

Lips