Pokerstars, Full Tilt, UB.com, Absolute Poker seized by FBI

Can somebody from the US please access the Full Tilt, UB.com and Absolute Poker websites and let me know what it says.  They all appear to be up and normal for me (UK) but it would be useful to know what stage this seizure of the websites by the FBI is at.

Thanks.

blue

EDIT:

Ok so now Absolute and UB.com is down and this is what you will see:

This is what full till poker when I click on the site...

This is what full till poker when I click on the site...

 

I can't see the pic Nan.

blue

How strange...I am looking right at the picture in my post,blue...can you still not see it?

Pokerstars is displaying the same pic as UB.com and Absolute Poker.

Just Full Tilt to go.

blue

How strange...I am looking right at the picture in my post,blue...can you still not see it?

No I can't see it.

blue

Now when I click on the related full till poker sites, besie that warning images the exact the same one you posted, here is what it shows and it will take you back to the orginal, warning page.

Not Found

The requested URL /getting-started.php was not found on this server.

Apache/2.2.16 (Amazon) Server at www.fulltiltpoker.com Port 80

Amazingly the pic has now popped up in your post.

This is terrible news for US players.  I've been trolling around the net and notice that thousands are looking into the "news" sections to find a proper statement from the poker sites but there doesn't appear to be anything as yet.

Pokerstars has now gone too and is displaying the same picture.

blue

Does this suck for those of us in the US or what!!! I guess I better enjoy the game I'm playing @ fulltilt now...how SAD!!!!

Blue,,when we say this is only for US and is this mean, every other players from different countries can still play at those sites?

Does this suck for those of us in the US or what!!! I guess I better enjoy the game I'm playing @ fulltilt now...how SAD!!!!

It sucks big time Rosebud. 

Blue,,when we say this is only for US and is this mean, every other players from different countries can still play at those sites?

Well I did log in and games were still running but the site lost 30,000 players from when I first looked to when I logged in, which was probably only about a 15 minute gap.

If a US player is involved in a  game, they can finish that game but then they won't be able to play again once they "stand up" from that game.  The ban "should be restricted to" only US players.  If they are in a ring game, they can play there until they leave the table.  

New players cannot register whilst the site has been seized though.

blue

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!  LEAVE MY FREEDOM ALONE FEDS!!! 

Wow pretty crazy!

This is the press release from the US DOJ

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf

Wow, I just finished playing at 2 different tournys at Absolute.  :`o  I hadn't been to any of the boards yet to see all this news.

I logged into Absolute at 8:45p EDT, deposited via QuickTender, entered one tourny, then entered another one at 10:40p.  Couldn't catch any flops at either game, so I was out early.  I did notice several other US players the tournys, tho.......

Wow that's some crazy shit! I've been wondering all day why i could register for tourneys (at Poker Stars) but then a pop-up would say " sorry you're not allowed to register blah blah blah bc you're from a restricted country" ? SO i uninstalled and now am in the process of re-installing.  But might as well cancel that!  Blue i never did see a sign, like that one.... I've been playing a Full Tilt all day without any problems tho !? Thanks for the info tho Blue.

Holy crap I've been under a rock... WTF is going on yo???

BTW I'm sitting here playing a freeroll at Full Tilt rite now. But I have not logged off the site in about a day and a half, so I dont know what you all mean about not being able to play. lol

I see Full Tilt's website is back to normal.

I don't know how you are managing to play Orren.  What is your location..or is this the same for everyone?

blue

Wow pretty crazy!

 

This is the press release from the US DOJ

 

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf

Wow...this is some serious charges and if I read it correctly, they are facing some major years in prison...

I tried to log-in and wasn't able to  :( so much for the players from the States being able to play !! I can still log-in to Adam n Eve tho but who knows for how long. Thanks for all the info from you blue and everyone else too. :'( :'(   And to our goverment :-* off.

I am in California

Here fulltiltpoker.com is down and also pokerstars.com.But both sites have moved to another host PS->pokerstars.eu and fulltilt->fulltiltpoker.co.uk

I am not from USA i can login but you can get a try to see if works to login on fulltiltpoker.co.uk (i heared pokerstars.eu don't let USA players).

Below is the announcement from Pokerstars.

blue

EDIT:

I should add that both Pokerstars and Full Tilt have had a software update.  The Full Tilt update is not currently working.

I'm in the SE US and just opened AbPoker.  It downloaded a bunch of new stuff, then let me login as usual.  I tried going to the website, and it's a .eu domain, but I wasn't able to access it - didn't try real hard, either.

This really sucks for US affiliates. It seems tilt is using www.fulltilpoker.co.uk as the main site and stars is using www.pokerstars.eu but the cashier is not available for usa players, i wonder if the visitors are being recorded...

Does this mean that all poker rooms will start to ban all US player?  If the poker rooms that do continue to allow US players, does this mean that they will face the same charges as Fulltilt and AB?  We just can't have any kind of fun anymore because of government restrictions.

perkypoo (ex-poker player)

Does this mean that all poker rooms will start to ban all US player?  If the poker rooms that do continue to allow US players, does this mean that they will face the same charges as Fulltilt and AB?  We just can't have any kind of fun anymore because of government restrictions.

 

perkypoo (ex-poker player)

 

I'm guessing this may happen (all sites banning US players) however, you will guess that the FBI have gone after the biggest of the sites....there's money to be made there.  Smaller sites are probably just not worth the effort to them.

Huge shame whichever way it goes for all US poker players.

blue

This is really a violation of OUR RIGHTS!  The government is so broke they are going after anything they can.  Remember this in 2012  VOTE EVERY INCUMBENT OUT OF OFFICE!

I'm Canadian and can't log in..sniff

Things will get worse till they get better.

But, IMO, this may be the blessing in disguise. The US gov may be preparing the ground for legalizing gambling and licensing the casinos in future. I do believe they are trying to get rid of all the operations that are taking money out of the USA at present time.

It is all about the money after all, and the US market is the biggest in the world.

The white label Rival Casinos are shutting down the new US players, and we should also expect similar thing with RTG, Vegas Tech....

Its wait and see at this point, but im confident things will change after the storm is over.

Zuga

I'll tell you whats going on.... The U.S. is about to legalize online poker, possibly casino's too.

So you open up gaming in your country... But, how do you get anyone to join a no name poker room or casino with little to no traffic??

Answer is extremely simple. Eliminate the competition...

I highly doubt they will bother with any of the other gaming sites. They wont be worth the bother. The time and $$ it would take, would not justify the effects in return. Go after the big fish. Even if the charges dont hold up, you've taken them offline (at least to US players) long enough to get your own business up and running.

It certainly is all about the money and I agree zuga and orren - legalization is definitely around the corner.

What better way to ensure the biggest companies comply with US legalization regulation!

blue

Here is the latest statement from Pokerstars.

"As you may have heard, we have had to suspend real money poker services to people based in the US due to legal developments there. These developments are confined to US and not have any impact on your ability to continue our services.

Please be assured player balances are safe. There is no cause for concern. For all customers outside the US it is business as usual.

The PokerStars website has been moved to pokerstars.eu, and our Support Email address is now [email protected]. We apologize to our players for any inconvenience caused by this disruption.

Please be aware that we are currently experiencing a very high volume of emails, so our response times are delayed. We will answer player emails as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter."

Will someone plz explain this to me! Last time I checked , this is still suppose to be a free country. How can they control our spending, of our own money,to what or whom we choose.How did we let this happen! I hope the next time I go to buy something online, they will let me. (lol) and one last thing, where were the government agencys when  we did need protection from the credit card companies.I  would gladly trade the fees for playing at a poker site, to the interest I  pay the cc companies.

sorry to ramble on , it just really tweeks my tweeter,lol

gl all

imakin1

lol imakin@tweeks my tweeter

I wonder whether regulation will stop the huge bank/credit card charges you have all been paying through the nose for so long.  Good point imakin.

blue

I just got this from Full Tilt:

Unfortunately, due to recent legal developments in the United States, Full Tilt Poker is currently unable to facilitate ‘real money’ play from players based there. This restriction solely affects players in the United States. For players in the rest of the world, play continues as normal and no such restrictions apply.

Please rest assured that all funds remain safe and secure and our technical and support teams are on hand to resolve any additional issues.

One such issue being addressed is the automatic software update; if you are experiencing any difficulty updating your game software we recommend installing the latest version of the game by visiting http://www.fulltiltpoker.co.uk/ and clicking the red ‘Play Now’ button.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by the disruption to our .com website and support email addresses. 

Please contact [email protected] with any queries not addressed above - we are working hard to resolve a large volume of queries in a timely manner and appreciate your patience in this regard.

Thank you again for your understanding,

If anyone else is having trouble with the update, just follow the link above.

blue 

The drop in traffic at Full Tilt was awesome for a minute there. I made it to cash in 3 different freerolls within 12 hours. I was able to use that money to join ring games and tournaments as well. Although I noticed 2 tournys I bought into 12 hours ahead of start, just up and disappeared along with the buy in (less than $0.50 so not a big deal).

I still have yet to log out of Full Tilt since all this business came about though.

=o}

The Onyx Cup has been cancelled and I'm guessing this is not the only big tournament series that will be cancelled.

This "episode" will change poker at these big sites forever.  What will happen to the players that make their living from playing poker at these sites?  I guess they will just go to another site that currently accept USA.

blue

Rose,kicking,screaming and stomping her feet >:( :'( just your average meltdown !! LOL I NEED my poker fix !! LOL

woot, can still play at PokerStars..phew!

good news, canadians can still play, yay!

Rose,kicking,screaming and stomping her feet >:( :'( just your average meltdown !! LOL I NEED my poker fix !! LOL

I hear you Rosebud.

It's a huge shame but I'm sure they will be back once regulation kicks in.

You can still play on Adameve Poker or Reefer Poker and a few other sites.

blue

For all USA players, Pokerstars have now issued a USA Players FAQ page.

Hope this is helpful to you.

blue

Pokerstars has begun allowing American players to withdraw the funds

Pokerstars has begun allowing American players to withdraw the funds in their accounts, following last week’s agreement with the US Department of Justice to return its dot.com domain.

Steve Day, manager of VIP, team online, ring games and sit n’ go tournaments for Pokerstars, broke the news on the Two Plus Two forum’s Pokercast podcast, broadcast yesterday.

A number of cash-out requests were accepted last night, and Day reassured players that they “should have their money within a matter of days in most cases.”

An official release today from Pokerstars confirmed that the company has begun the process of returning player funds and that "The funds to cover these withdrawal requests are readily available."

As well as the withdrawal of cash balances, one poster on the Pocket Fives poker forum relayed a message from Pokerstars that it “is currently working with the US government to achieve an agreement on what can be done with FPPs [frequent player points].”

According to statements relayed on poker forums including Two Plus Two and Pocket Fives – US players withdrawing from PokerStars are required to take their entire account balance off the site.

Pokerstars is the first of the three poker sites with domains and accounts seized by the US Attorney’s Office on Black Friday to begin processing cash-outs.

Full Tilt issued a statement following the return of its dot.com domain which suggested it could not return player funds at this time.

The third US-facing site Absolute Poker stated over the weekend that it was still in negotiations with the Attorney’s Office over the return of its dot.com site. The Kahnawake-licensed site explained that “Absolute Poker’s counsel has initiated communications with the US Attorney’s office and plans to continue proactively advancing those discussions.”

As well as reassuring players about their funds, Day used the podcast to explain the procedure for Americans considering moving overseas to continue playing poker online at PokerStars for a living.

He said: “There’s definitely no play from within the United States regardless of your residency, and if you want to play outside then you need to be a resident of another country.”

Day added that “Anyone who relocates from the US to another country will be subject to some extra scrutiny to make sure they’re actually playing from where they’re playing from.”

"Full Tilt issued a statement following the return of its dot.com domain which suggested it could not return player funds at this time."

I wonder why?  They must have plenty of money....or do they have a processor problem...or no processor?

blue

:`o oh oh !! I'm sure they'll get it worked out soon.

"Full Tilt issued a statement following the return of its dot.com domain which suggested it could not return player funds at this time."

 

I wonder why?  They must have plenty of money....or do they have a processor problem...or no processor?

 

blue

"Full Tilt issued a statement following the return of its dot.com domain which suggested it could not return player funds at this time."

 

I wonder why?  They must have plenty of money....or do they have a processor problem...or no processor?

 

blue

I understood it as them wanting to wait and see what type of fines and penalties they were going to be facing. Before they went and gave away the means to pay for the lawsuit.

Translation: US charges, US pays for.

Looks like you may get paid next week if you have any money on FT.

Based on the deal closed with the US Department of Justice about temporary unfreezing of the site in order to payout players’ money, Full Tilt Poker is expected to start the process soon… or as soon as they manage to organize it.

In terms of the players’ remaining account balances, they were so far advised that the DoJ agreement to pay players was a good first step, but that it wouldn't be able to process refunds until the government gives up control of its funds.

In addition, Full Tilt pointed out that “there remain significant practical and legal impediments to returning funds to players in the immediate future,” adding that, thanks to the recent enforcement measures, there are now no [legal US] channels through which refunds can be made.

I think it's a bit late for them to be worrying about how they can pay their players "legally".

blue

Poker Stars has made arrangements with an American bank and has begun the process of returning funds to US players.

"the ongoing process is legal under its recent agreement with the US Department of Justice and that the funds to cover these withdrawal requests ‘are readily available".

Lips

Absolute Poker Reaches Agreement with Department of Justice, Closes US Operations

After earlier reports Full Tilt Poker converted some tournament tickets to cash and deposited payments from the Take Two promotion into player’s accounts, Absolute Poker and UB Poker made their own announcement Tuesday they have reached an agreement with the US Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York.

According to the agreement, the US Attorney’s office has agreed to provide assurances that third parties may work with Absolute Poker the return of US player’s funds, currently held by third-party processors.

The agreement also states that Absolute Poker has closed their US-facing operations and have stopped US players from playing for real money on the site.

The company has not requested their their absolutepoker, ub and ultimatebet domain names and the agreement states they will not be returned.

This comes after the May 9 announcement that their lineup of sponsored players, including Joe Sebok, had been dismissed.

The statement mentions the Company’s top priority is the return of all account balances to US players, but they still face several legal issues before funds can be paid.

Blank Rome LLP, the site’s attorneys in the US will work to resolve the issues.

However, the funds will not immediately become available for withdrawal as a result of today’s agreement.

A Company spokesman said: “Today’s signing of the agreement with the DOJ is an important step towards the safe and efficient return of funds to our US players.

We can now move as expeditiously as possible to collect player monies from third party processors as a prelude to establishing proper mechanisms for the return of funds to our US players.

As previously announced, we have already taken specific actions to exit the US market by closing our US-facing operations.

Blank Rome LLP will continue to engage in discussions with the SDNY in order to complete the necessary agreements for the final transfer of frozen fund balances to our US players. This remains our highest priority.

We will continue to update our players and the poker community, as we move forward to resolve outstanding issues.”

Update in relation to payouts from the big 4:

"So far, PokerStars players are reportedly receiving payouts, whereas Full Tilt Poker is still negotiating some points in the agreement, and until now, Absolute Poker players noticed no movements in this direction."

blue