http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/major-online-poker-sites-seized-charged-with-money-laundering.ars
Federal prosecutors have charged some of the biggest names in online poker > with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling, the US Justice > Department announced on Friday. Those behind PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, > and Absolute Poker have had their domains seized by the Federal Bureau of > Investigations (FBI), and 76 bank accounts owned by the companies have been > temporarily shut down via restraining orders. > > Online gambling technically became illegal in the US starting in > 2006<http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/02/6204.ars>, > when legislators barred wire transfers, "payment system instruments," and > credit cards <http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/07/7239.ars> from > being used as payment methods for online gambling sites. Unsurprisingly, > this didn't stop many gambling sites from running offshore operations and > continuing to grow. Full Tilt Poker, for example, has grown large enough > that it regularly sponsors players at the World Series of Poker. The domains > of popular poker sites are no secret among online gambling aficionados. > "no secret" is a massive understatement -- one of the companies -- "Full Tilt Poker" sponsored NBC's 2am show "Poker After Dark" currently 'hosted' by Leeann Tweeden. FullTiltPoker.net is down, but PokerAfterDark.com is still up and with Full Tilt Poker's logos prominent throughout the page and http://www.pokerafterdark.com/about So will we get a crafty blocking out of logos as NBC tries to find a new sponsor, or will Leeann Tweeden be hosting a documentary discussing the dangers of gambling addiction come Monday night? (Coincidently, here in DC almost every night at the same time of NBC Poker, the Fox O&O airs an infomercial bought by FullTilt. I hope they got paid in cash and not in poker chips.) -- Wesley McGee http://www.ambivi.com http://drawing-a-blank.tumblr.com -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
