US Government Swoops

Those who thought the crackdown started and finished on April 14th were mistaken as the US government swoops again

Those who thought that the US government’s crackdown on US poker rooms both started and finished on Black Friday should think again. The latest sites to be hit by US authorities are DoylesRoom.com, truepoker.com, bookmaker.com, beted.com and nine other websites. If you were to click on to any of these sites you would find a graphic similar to the one that was put up on the sites of the big three poker rooms on April 14th. In addition to having their sites frozen, three people have been indicted on charges of money laundering and 11 bank accounts located as far apart as in the United States, Guam, Portugal and the Netherlands have been frozen.
The indictments are the result of an investigation of the online gaming company ThrillX as well as the online payment processing company BMX Entertainment. The investigation was a multi-pronged one involving several arms of state including the US Attorney in Maryland, the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security. A press release has been issued on these indictments indicating that the indictments are a result of undercover work conducted by the Department of Homeland Security in Baltimore. It also says the following:
“The proceeds from illegal Internet gambling are often used to fuel organized crime and support criminal activity. ICE HSI will work diligently to uncover illicit transactions involving these types of financial crimes. Together, with our law enforcement partners, we will disrupt and dismantle organizations that commit these crimes, regardless of their location, whether here in the United States or abroad.”


It would be interesting to receive some examples of incidents where online gaming has been linked to organised crime though none are given.


Poker fans will be pleased to know that the action taken by the US government is unlikely to affect the living poker legend, Doyle Brunson, who parted ways with the website that holds his name in the wake of the April 14th crackdown. He said in a release that:


Reluctantly, I have decided to terminate my endorsement contract with Doylesroom.com. It pains me to leave at this time. I have aspirations of re-entering the online poker business when the United States Government passes legislation, that officially legalize online poker sites. Doylesroom management has decided to continue to serve U.S. customers. Although they believe they have the right to market the name Doylesroom and to use my name and likeness for a period of time, I have asked them not to. Good luck-Shuffle up and deal.