Online Poker Sites Shut Down

How Did The US Government Shut Down Online Poker?

Online Poker Shut Down - Poker Sites Closed to US Players - Currently, the poker world is in shock. Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, along with Janice Fedarcyk, Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have brought criminal money laundering and fraud charges against the sites.

There is also a civil complaint against the above poker companies, their payment processors, five internet domains, as well as 75 bank accounts used by the poker companies and their payment processors. This has resulted in the PokerStars shut down and Full Tilt shut down access to US online poker players. In fact, their websites now clearly display a "seized by the FBI" graphic.

Note: Bodog Poker has not shut down and has no plans to leave the US market. US players can play at Bodog Poker and deposit there. Bodog was not one of the sites seized by the FBI.

Could this mean that US online poker will be shut down forever?

While some online poker sites have been shut down by the FBI, the industry still occupies a gray area in the US. Some argue that the FBI-seized poker sites will be able to beat the charges and continue business as normal. Certainly, although the poker site of Full Tilt shut down has gone ahead, the site is arguing that they expect to be cleared of charges and the case against them dismissed. After having their website closed down, PokerStars has expressed similar sentiments.

However, the charges do not seem to be related to the fact that online poker sites are running in the US. Instead, the shut down poker sites have been accused of running scams and schemes to hide their monetary transactions and disguise the fact that US players are gambling online.

So while we shall all lament the poker site of PokerStars shut down, other operators who remain in the US may not be similarly affected. However, there is no doubt that many online poker sites who did not shut down are going to welcoming new US poker players with open arms as players look for new places to play. This poker online shut down is just a temporary blip for the United States online poker scene.

Nevertheless, the US market is going to take some time to recover from this FBI online poker shut down. Poker site confidence has been lost, account balances have been frozen and many US players are going to be looking over their shoulders to see if Uncle Sam is chasing after them for breaking the law.

In the meantime, non US players can continue to play at the affected poker sites. Online Poker Shut Down - Poker Sites Closed Down by the FBI - Since the site of Full Tilt shut down, players will have to download new software. But player pools at the closed down online poker sites are going to drop, and so are prizes and tournament schedules.

It also remains to be seen how the online poker sites shut down will affect entrants in to the World Series of Poker 2011.