USA DOJ Seizes Top US Poker Sites & Funds
The USA Department of Justice and FBI seized the four biggest online poker sites in the industry this week and now thousands of Americans are scrambling to figure out what they can do. The poker sites that were seized by the FBI include PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, UB and Absolute Poker although the seizure is only affecting those in the USA right now and not anywhere else.
The DOJ and FBI unsealed an indictment this Friday and a total of 11 defendants are facing charges and fines that could put them behind bars in the USA for a long time. The founders of the poker sites and a few other people have been charged in the indictment and could face anywhere from 5-30 years if convicted. The US government is also looking for the poker sites to pay roughly $3 billion in money laundering fines, which could be enough to shut down the four poker sites around the world and not just the United States.
Over 75 bank accounts in over 10+ countries have been seized by the FBI and this could have a huge impact on how players deposit funds and receive withdrawals from poker sites. You may experience problems withdrawing money from the four poker sites listed above right now while the heat cools down, but as long as you don’t live in the United States you should be able to get your money.
Online poker was never illegal, but accepting payment from US poker players is illegal and that’s why the major poker sites have gotten in trouble. The poker rooms used shell companies and fake bank accounts to launder money out of the United States and keep the nature of their transactions a secret. Many people believe that the banks must have known about the poker rooms and the bank accounts a lot sooner, as it isn’t easy to launder billions of dollars out of the country without getting caught.
Alternative Revenue Streams for Poker Players
If you live in the USA there are still a few poker sites accepting US players, but as proved on Friday, the US can shutdown these poker sites whenever they please pretty much. If you want to look for an alternative revenue stream in these tough times you should consider trading on the FOREX. Trading foreign currencies has been popular for years now and many people make full-time incomes from trading on the FOREX. We’ve attached a video below from Fifth Street Trading that will give you an introduction to the world of foreign currencies.
