Holy cow, never thought I would see the big poker sites go down like that. Haven't played in years but went to one of the sites after hearing a out the busts on the news, that's quite a display the FBI is putting on!
creeking
11:51 pm on Apr 15, 2011 (gmt 0)
this will motivate poker businesses to use non-USA domain names.
I looked at a site that gathers poker player tweets. one was worried about his livelihood. another said he might cancel his plans to move to the USA (not in protest, but because it will harder to make money).
the most interesting comment was a player suggesting that medium-level tournaments here will be easier. I suppose he is thinking that major non-USA players would spend less time here, and only travel here for the largest tournaments.
The aftermath hit - no more PokerStars Big Game paid TV show at 3am
I had a season pass on it and it showed it was going to record until Monday, then it went POOF!
However, Poker After Dark is still on.
caribguy
7:33 am on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
Apparently, my 'in the know' family member believes it will be good for affiliates. I defer to his judgment, even tho it is not my biz and I stay as far away from it as I can...
engine
2:35 pm on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
Yeah, this is all to stop these sites selling to American citizens.
lawman
3:27 pm on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
I used to enjoy watching all the poker games on TV. Stopped enjoying them when everytime I tuned in the participants had huge logos of online poker sponsors plastered on shirts, hats, just about any available blank space. These logos are so big they resemble the screen clutter on one of the cable news/financial channels.
LifeinAsia
4:15 pm on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
Apparently, the players are now actually going to offline casinos.
Demaestro
5:11 pm on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
IMO This move was instigated by the big Casino.
They want to get into online gambling but don't want any competition.
Ceasar and Wynn Casinos tried to make a partnership with some of the big name online guys and that fell through. Originally they were the ones who wanted to stop online gambling but when they saw the millions and millions leaving the country and they realized it can't be stopped they reversed their positions.
They wwas even talk of giving a monopoly for 2 years where only established casinos could operate online gambling in the US.
The sites shut down have been operating for years on end with no prosecution, now they go after them? I suspect that someone with money decided that it was too much competition and they paid off the right person and now the sites are down.
BTW I am in Canada and can still play real money games on those sites. I have about $12 in a poker account and hadn't played for a long time but after this happened I logged in and played just to see if it affected their operation... it didn't.
Why does the gov need to be involved in the gambling habits of it's citizens? This is the definition of big government. I am surprised this has support from the left or the right lawmakers.
I don't think it has to do with morality. There are lots of casinos, horse track and off track betting, as well as lotteries to gamble at so obviously US society is willing to allow gambling. Removing competition is the only reason I see for this move.
incrediBILL
6:07 pm on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
I think the government was more than willing to turn a blind eye, as they did for a long time, until these idiots started bribing bank officials and laundering money, which is the kind of corruption you would expect from old school Las Vegas.
When the greedy get too greedy and flaunt it the government is forced to pay attention.
Remember back in 2007 when two former founders of NETELLER were charged with money laundering?
The real lesson here from both cases is if you're going to do those things, DO NOT set foot on US soil again, that's the stupid part, steer clear of the US and you should be OK.
lucy24
7:07 pm on Apr 20, 2011 (gmt 0)
But, but, but :: sob :: now how is my son going to pay his rent and make the car payments? I was uneasy the first time I saw him with four concurrent "tables" open ... until I remembered that he and his friends were all math majors. When they play, they win.
Look up any random country in the Islands (the CIA of all people has a www site that collects this information in a nice accessible form) and you'll find Cabinet-level ministries with names like "Gaming and Internet" (a single department).
Come to think of it, it's ages since I've gotten spam for online casinos. It used to be a huge proportion. Does that mean that everyone who would potentially be interested has now found the sites, so they no longer need to advertise?
