Update: Domain Seizures Temporarily Withdrawn

US players to get their funds paid out thanks to the agreement between DoJ and operators The latest news about the indictments raised by the US Department of Justice against online poker executives include reports about a temporary “use of domains,” the agreement on which has been closed by DoJ officials and Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker. The news was confirmed by Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who said that the agreement will facilitate the return of money so that players can register their refund requests directly with Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker. He also specified that no individual player accounts were frozen or restrained in the federal action, adding that all poker companies were free to pay out any player funds at all times. “In fact, this Office expects the companies to return the money that U.S. players entrusted to them, and we will work with the poker companies to facilitate the return of funds to players, as today's agreements with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker demonstrate," he concluded. Based on the agreement, the online poker companies cannot “allow for, facilitate, or provide the ability for players located in the United States to engage in playing online poker for real money or any other thing of value.” They are only allowed to use the seized domains - pokerstars.com and fulltiltpoker.com to enable the withdrawal of US players' funds. It was stated by Bahrara: “The deposit of funds by U.S. players is expressly prohibited. In addition, the agreements do not prohibit, and, in fact, expressly allow for, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to provide for, and facilitate, players outside of the United States to engage in playing online poker for real money. The agreements also require the appointment of an independent Monitor to verify PokerStars' and Full Tilt Poker's compliance with the agreements. “The Government stands to enter the same agreement with Absolute Poker [and UB.com] if it so chooses.”