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US Poker Players Funds Still Frozen Since Black Friday

Now that the Big 3 online poker rooms have been forced to close down to the US market, Absolute Poker and UB.com have already announced plans to downsize and restructure, in addition to dropping their entire roster of sponsored pros, who were all coincidently based out of the US, and now hundreds of online poker players who had made deposits at Absolute Poker prior to Black Friday have not heard a word about whether or not they will get their money back. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have both promised to refund player accounts, but no such promise has been made from Absolute Poker.

There are still online poker sites taking US deposits. Click here for more info on US poker.

Poker pro and resident of North Las Vegas, Mike Ziethlow earned a living by playing online poker at Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. However, now that his accounts are frozen, he can’t withdraw his bankroll; therefore, he can’t play at live casinos. He’s reportedly resorted to playing his guitar outside casinos to earn money to get back on his feet. While there aren’t poker pros lined up outside casinos playing their guitars, there are many other similar stories.

The Poker Players Alliance has reported that about 50,000 poker pros who made a living playing Internet poker are now out of work. The Big 3 poker sites represented about 70% of the US market, thus, leaving so many players high and dry with no other means to make money, and since the Las Vegas job market is already at an all-time low, there just aren’t jobs available for these people.

Evan Decker funded his college education playing online poker. He made about $50K per year, but now, his five-digit bankroll is inaccessible. Unfortunately, his money is tied up in the CEREUS Network, and he hasn’t heard a word regarding his money. PokerStars was able to return some of Ziethlow’s money, and he’s awaiting processing on the rest of it. Unfortunately, this is the way it is for now when it comes to online poker in the US regarding the Big 3.

Absolute Poker and UB.com US Pros Let Go from Sponsorship

Further developments in the Absolute Poker and UB.com saga reveal that online poker sponsorships for poker pros have been eradicated all together. The full roster that included 10 members of Team UB and one pro from Absolute Poker were let go from their contracts, some of them even learning of their release through email.

Trishelle Cannatella, the Absolute Poker pro to get her walking papers was joined by UB.com poker pros Prahlad Friedman, Joe Sebok, Eric “Basebaldy” Baldwin, Brandon Cantu, Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle, “Hollywood” Dave Stann, Scott Ian, Bryan Devonshire, and Adam “Roothlus” Levy.

The parent company of both UB.com and Absolute Poker is Antigua-based Blanca Games. We reported yesterday that the company had recently announced that it would be restructuring and downsizing. There have even been reports of bankruptcy, as an email went out to the shareholders that mentioned the “b” word. These efforts were made in good faith to help the company recover its business in non-US markets. All the sponsored pros were US poker players, so that didn’t make much sense in the whole scheme of things anyway.

Blanca Games released a statement that read:

“This was a difficult task for Blanca’s management, and we are very disappointed that we have been compelled to sever ties with our sponsored pros…we regret that we are no longer in a position to partner with our sponsored pros, or to provide them with a source of income for playing the game that they love.”

After the statement was released, some of the jilted pros released their own statements. Devonshire was surprised and aggravated by his abrupt release. Sebok was more composed, stating, “It was obvious that, regardless of what direction things went, that sponsored players in the USA were going to be unnecessary, or certainly far less necessary. It was pretty obvious, at least in my mind, that we would be let go.”

Hopefully, the fate of Full Tilt Poker pros and PokerStars pros based in the US will not be similar. Meanwhile, other online poker sites are still accepting US players.

The PPA Calls on its 1 Million Members to March on Washington DC on May 24th

The Poker Players Alliance, also known as the PPA, has made it perfectly clear recently that if the online poker community doesn’t act now, we will lose online poker for good. In an effort to lobby for online poker at a greater level, they have named May 24th “National Poker Lobbying Day.” On this day May 24th, the PPA is asking their more than one million members to descend upon Washington DC in order to actually meet with members of Congress and legislators who can help.

The PPA press release states, “Approximately 30 of PPA’s State Directors will meet with targeted lawmakers and ask them pass legislation to license and regulate online poker.”

The PPA has already been calling on member since Black Friday to write, email, or call their representatives and contact them by any means possible, but May 24th will be the first time the PPA has attempted to organize a large body of its members together at once in an effort to further the progression of online poker legislature.

Former Senator and current PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato told PPA member in an email, “The PPA will be providing the tools and information you need to arrange and execute those meetings either in Washington D.C. or back home in your congressional delegations district offices. Please click here to find the contact information for your members of Congress, as well as instructions on how to request and successfully secure a meeting.

“We encourage every PPA member to meet with their members of Congress on May 24th and request that if you secure a meeting to please email the national office at dcflyin@theppa.org and let us know the details.”

This “emergency fly-in” request by the PPA to its members is a risk if many don’t show, but it has promise, as online poker players are more than just poker players. They are passionate about their sport.

The Future of Absolute Poker Looks Bleak

Absolute Poker, sister site of UB.com, both on the CEREUS Network has apparently been making some changes behind the scenes. At first, there were reports that the online poker site had shut down due to lack of business after the FBI seized their domains and prompted them to shut out all US traffic for good. However, the site issued a statement that they were not in fact declaring bankruptcy, but just “restructuring” some of their operations.

“As previously stated, Absolute Poker and UB ceased their U.S.-facing operations due to recent legal developments in the United States. The company is currently restructuring and is focusing its resources on consolidating its non-U.S., rest-of-the-world operation and software business.

In order to have a more efficient and successful future business, an immediate need to downsize and streamline operations significantly at both online poker rooms has been required. Absolute Poker and UB continue to operate their non-U.S.-facing business.”

So to define “downsizing,” it means laying off 300 employees and the online servers shutting down, for the time being. It is doubtful these employees will get paid. They may in fact get treated as Bet On Sports did back in 2006 when they closed down—no jobs, no paycheck.

Actually, right now Absolute Poker is still up and running in Europe, but with little traffic considering the questionable news that’s been circulating around them lately.

On Friday, Costa Rican authorities raided the company’s headquarters that were operating in the country’s San Jose capital. Prosecutors and agents entered the premises on the basis of a search warrant that was issued by Pavas criminal courts. This allowed authorities to search the residential homes and offices of those associated with the two online poker brands in Santa Ana, Escazu, and Rohmoser.

These actions come after accusations were brought about by Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, against founders of Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars.

Currently, the AbsolutePoker.com/Ub.com companies face $500 million in fines for allegedly violating the UIGEA, committing bank and wire fraud, and laundering money. However, a letter was sent to shareholders that read, “with no cash on hand and no prospects for any cash flow for the foreseeable future, the Board of Directors is required by Norwegian law to enter the bankruptcy process.”

US Attorney General Suggests Poker is a Game of Skill

US Attorney General Eric Holder, who stands behind the government shutdown of online poker sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and UB.com, has actually questioned whether or not poker is a game of chance or one of skill.

For US poker sites still registering US players-click here.

Holder suggested at a House Judiciary Committee hearing that certain laws that pertain to Internet poker must be enforced and that this was exactly what US authorities did when they forced the big three online poker brands to step out of the US market forever. He claims they were simply upholding the laws that restricted banking institutions from facilitating online transactions that were for the purpose of online gambling. The FBI took down the aforementioned online poker sites last month for allowing these illegal transactions and hiding them as retail trades.

However, when Holder was asked about his stance on poker, he refused to comment on whether or not he believed it was a game of chance or a game of skill. He was then asked if he thought Phil Ivey was merely lucky, and Holder admitted that although he did not play poker, nor know Ivey, he did in fact think that poker contains a certain level of skill.

Holder further commented that it was on Congress to make clear the laws regarding online poker and translate them accordingly. But with the current laws regarding online gambling in place, authorities were going to have to be held responsible for upholding the laws through enforcement and execution of the legislature.

While the Feds have stood firmly on their stance towards online poker in the US, they may be forced into action in the future to revise the laws in order to keep the peace and keep illegal online gambling in the US at bay. In addition, clarification of the UIGEA would also be required before any future Internet poker indictments could be served in the US.

Ira Rubin, One of the 11 Indicted on Black Friday Arrested

Another of the 11 indicted accused defendants involved in the three big online poker sites taken down two weeks ago has been apprehended. Ira Rubin, charged with operating an illegal online gambling site for US players, was arrested in Guatemala on April 25th. After the online domains of FullTiltPoker.com, AbsolutePoker.com, UB.com, and PokerStars.com were seized by the FBI, the US Department of Justice ordered the arrest of 11 people involved with these former online poker sites that allow US players to play online poker for real money.

At a hearing in Miami, Rubin told Andrea M. Simonton, US Magistrate Judge, that “I signed an agreement with a lawyer in New York Friday. I have no idea whether he’s been paid as of yet. I haven’t been able to make a phone call since Monday.”
Judge Simonton contacted the attorney, Stuart Meissner, who validated that he had not in fact been paid, so court dates were rescheduled for April 29th and May 2nd.

Dressed in a prison jumpsuit and handcuffed with shackles, following the hearing Rubin was returned to the Miami Federal Detention Center.

After the UIGEA was passed in 2006, it became illegal for banks to process online transactions regarding online gambling to offshore gambling companies, such as Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and Absolute, all of which are based outside the US (PokerStars is based in Isle of Man, Full Tilt Poker is based in Ireland, and Absolute Poker is based in Costa Rica).
Prosecutors now allege that despite the UIGEA’s limitations, the aforementioned online poker institutions falsified information regarding bank transactions in order to continue taking payments from US players, thus tricking the banks into allowing the transactions. Now the US government has fined the companies with $3 billion in penalties and forfeitures.
Where Rubin comes in to all of this is that, according to the indictment, he helped the three poker brands in question disguise these payments with “phony Internet merchants.”

Rubin was charged with 9 counts that included conspiracy to violate the UIGEA, 3 counts of violation of the UIGEA in correlation to the three online poker sites, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Bodog Poker’s Female Friendly Lineup

Via Twitter, Evelyn Ng announced her sponsorship renewal deal with Bodog Poker. Ng is the longest sponsored poker pro at Bodog Poker, who has been with the brand since 2006, tweeted last Wednesday, “I am thrilled to announce that I’ve renewed my sponsorship agreement with Bodog!”

Due to her televised appearances on the felt, she has become one of the most well-recognized faces in poker, though she hasn’t had the success rate as some of the other big dogs in the industry. She is just likeable and well-known, which is why Bodog wants to keep her on. In the wake of all of the other bad news and shuffling around in the online poker industry, it’s good to hear some good news. It is likely that Ng is grateful that she has a sponsorship deal with a thriving US brand online poker room that has not been attacked by the US Department of Justice lately.

Ng was representing Bodog at the EPT San Remo Main Event in San Remo, Italy with her boyfriend Lex “Raszi” Veldhuis, when she tweeted the news last week. In her career, Ng has successfully won around $375K in live tournaments alone since she started she took up occupation as a poker player in 2004.

In efforts to move towards a more female oriented marketing campaign, Bodog let a number of poker pros that they had been collecting over the years go. Players like Survivor star Jean Robert Bellande and WSOP second placer in 2004 David Williams were cut from the roster at Bodog Poker over the last year. Ng is one of the two sponsored pros left at Bodog Poker. The other is Amanda Musumeci, winner of Bodog’s promo contest to find the next pro.

PokerStars Is Now Allowing US Cashouts

Tuesday afternoon, PokerStars finally contacted their former US player base via email to inform them of what to do with their player funds. US online poker players were told that they could access the PokerStars cashier page via the software in order to request cash outs from PokerStars.

For online poker sites still accepting US players, click here.

PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker had made a deal with the Department of Justice to get their domain names back in exchange for their place in the US market, indefinitely. This was supposedly done in hopes of getting the process started of refunding US players’ money that was held in limbo in their frozen and inactive PokerStars accounts. Now US players can now access the cashier in efforts to retain any money they had in their player accounts when all hell broke loose on US online poker’s Black Friday.

If you do not know how to cash out at PokerStars, their email to US players follows:

In light of recent developments, PokerStars is no longer offering real money play to residents of the United States of America and its territories.

The PokerStars Cashier is now available for you to cash out the funds in your real money account balance. We strongly recommend that you use the bank transfer option; to use it, you will need to have your current banking information at hand.

Please note that due to the expected high volume of cashout requests, we anticipate a delay in processing and delivery of your funds. Rest assured that your funds are safe and we will process your request as soon as possible.

Please contact paymentservices@pokerstars.com if you experience any issues.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Regards,

PokerStars Support

Sportsbook.com Pulls Out of USA Market

Come May 1^st, PlayersOnly, Sportsbook.com, and Superbook will no longer accept USA players. PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com are on the Merge Network, and Superbook is on the Cake Network, but all three are owned by the same company, which has decided to pull out of the USA market. However, they will only be rejecting new USA sign ups. Those players who already have an account will still be able to play.

So if you don’t have an account with Sportsbook.com, click here to sign up before May 1^st. You will still be able to play for real money and make real money deposits indefinitely after May 1^st, you just won’t be able to register a new account.

All existing players at Sportsbook.com and PlayersOnly will be fine and need not worry. All of your funds are safe and secure, and you are already set. You will not be affected come May 1^st, you just won’t see any new players from the US join any of these online poker rooms, which means you won’t see the amount of fish you are used to finding at Sportsbook, but you will still be able to play with real money.

This is all in light of the recent seizure of the domains of FullTiltPoker.com, PokerStars.com, AbsolutePoker.com, and UB.com by the FBI. In turn, the aforementioned online poker sites closed their doors to USA players for good. Now Sportsbook.com, PlayersOnly.com, and Superbook will do the same thing, but they will allow existing US players to remain active and continue making real money deposits and real money bets on online poker games.

If you don’t already have a Merge Network account, sign up at Sportsbook.com now before the May 1^st deadline by clicking here.

US Poker Rooms that Accept USA Deposits

A lot has happened over the past week and a half. PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker have closed their doors to US players. Also, it’s been announced that PlayersOnly Poker and Sportsbook.com will no longer take new US players after May 1st.

For US Poker Rooms that Accept USA Deposits click here.

It is becoming harder and harder to find US poker sites that accept USA deposits, but there are some out there. As a US player, you will still be able to play online poker via the Internet with real money. You will still be able to make real money deposits and place real money bets on poker games, you just can’t do it on PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, UB.com, and Absolute Poker, and soon you won’t be able to create a new account at PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.com.

If you want to open an account at Sportsbook.com, click here because after May 1st, you won’t be able to sign up. You will be able to play there as a US player indefinitely though, as long as you have an account. Sportsbook.com and PlayersOnly will still accept USA deposits after May 1st, they just won’t be taking any new USA players.

Unfortunately, the USA online poker market is changing daily. What were once the biggest forces in USA online poker are no longer here and now unavailable to USA players. However, there will and always will be a way to play online poker in the USA and the ability of USA players to make real money poker deposits. So don’t give up on USA poker. It’s not going anywhere.

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