Slashdot Mirror
$33 Million In Poker Winnings Seized By US Govt
An anonymous reader writes "A New York Times story reports that, 'Opening a new front in the government's battle against Internet gambling, federal prosecutors have asked four American banks to freeze tens of millions of dollars in payments owed to people who play poker online. ... "It's very aggressive, and I think it's a gamble on the part of the prosecutors," Mr. Rose said. He added that it was not clear what law would cover the seizure of money belonging to poker players, as opposed to the money of the companies involved.' Many players are reporting that their cashout checks have bounced."
these people deserve to have all their money taken. everyone knows online poker is rigged, and without proper regulation the house always wins. go to las vegas for real gambling people!
There are no house odds in poker.
new faces and mrany for electioWn, I
DEAR SIR/MADAM,
MY NAME IS ARIZONA SLIM, ORIGINATOR OF MORTGAGES AND PATRON OF VEGAS. I AM NEPHEW OF UNITED STATES POKER PROFESSIONAL WITH WINNINGS OF $2.2 MILLION U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE NOTES. THE GOVERNMENT IS THREATENED BY COUP OF LEFTIST GUERRILLAS WHO ATTEMPT TO NATIONALIZE BANKS, INDUSTRIALS, PROFITS OF WINDFALL AND PRIVATE ASSETS OTHER. MY FAMILY IS WITHOUT CONFIDENCE TO RETRIEVE GROSS PROCEEDS OF ONLINE POKER. I WISH TO ESTABLISH YOUR TRUST FOR I AM WITHOUT VIRTUE TO RETRIEVE FUNDS IN OUR NAMES. THIS UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND 'TOP SECRET'. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A TRANSACTION OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING TRANSACTION REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE.
THE SOURCE OF THE FUNDS IS AS FOLLOWS. MY UNCLE PROGRAMMED POKE BOT FOR TWENTY-FOUR BY SEVEN PLAYING FOR FLEECING OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. ASSETS ACCUMULATED IN CAYMAN ISLANDS POKER PARTY. TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE US TRANSFER INTO YOUR ACCOUNT THE SAID TRAPPED FUNDS.
I HAVE THEREFORE, BEEN DELEGATED AS A MATTER OF TRUST BY MY UNCLE TO LOOK FOR AN OVERSEAS PARTNER INTO WHOSE ACCOUNT WE WOULD TRANSFER THE SUM OF US$2,220,000.00(TWO MILLION, TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS). HENCE WE ARE WRITING YOU THIS LETTER. WE HAVE AGREED TO SHARE THE MONEY THUS; 1. 20% FOR THE ACCOUNT OWNER 2. 70% FOR US (THE OFFICIALS) 3. 10% TO BE USED IN SETTLING TAXATION AND ALL LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPENSES. IT IS FROM THE 70% THAT WE WISH TO COMMENCE THE IMPORTATION BUSINESS.
PLEASE,NOTE THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% SAFE AND WE HOPE TO COMMENCE THE TRANSFER LATEST SEVEN (7) BANKING DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE RECEIPT OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATIOM BY TEL/FAX; 212-555-1212ext419, YOUR COMPANY'S SIGNED, AND STAMPED LETTERHEAD PAPER THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL ENABLE US WRITE LETTERS OF CLAIM AND JOB DESCRIPTION RESPECTIVELY. THIS WAY WE WILL USE YOUR COMPANY'S NAME TO APPLY FOR PAYMENT AND RE-AWARD THE CONTRACT IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THIS BUSINESS WITH YOU AND SOLICIT YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IN THIS TRANSATION. PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECEIPT OF THIS LETTER USING THE ABOVE TEL/FAX NUMBERS. I WILL SEND YOU DETAILED INFORMATION OF THIS PENDING PROJECT WHEN I HAVE HEARD FROM YOU.
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
HONORABLE ARIZONA SLIM ESQ.
NOTE; PLEASE QUOTE THIS REFERENCE NUMBER (VE/S/09/99) IN ALL YOUR RESPONSES.
Barney Frank has introduced a bill to legalize and regulate online poker.
Bawney Fwank's idea of online poker does not involve cards.
Or like Enron?
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
Just like the 1880s, right? Sure, you can live free if you're the upper crust. Otherwise, your life will be nasty, brutish, and short, and spent toiling away and never seeing more of your proceeds than you need to stay alive, barely. This isn't a nightmare scenario. It actually happened. It was called the Gilded Age, and we should be glad it ended. Why do extreme libertarians like you consistently deny the logical implications of your policies?
I can't eat a Youtube video. How do you think all the thousands of people who are paid to create internet content get paid? With currency only good on the internet? The Internet isn't some isolated bubble divorced from the real economy. It's enmeshed quite heavily: people order real, hard goods through it, put real capital derived from conventional industry into it, and spend the real money generated from it on tangible products.
I suppose I'm dealing with a true believer here. Of course there's a recession "in the internet": it makes as much sense to say "no recession in the internet" as it does to say "no recession on the telephone network".
Stop funding tasks that aren't improving urgent concerns
So in your world, nothing not urgent should be worked on? I take it you're not a fan of preventative maintenance then.
Yea see that too is the wrong extreme.
This is like doing the 'preventative maintenance' of washing your cars hubcaps, while something more 'urgent' is going on, like the engine block being on fire, a human arm hanging out of the partially closed trunk, and that horrid florescent pink and yellow paint job.
There's no guarantee whatsoever that the gamblers themselves weren't going to pay taxes on the money that they won.
Awesome excuse!
They should just say "No no your honor, we do not have *illegal* gambling! The house wasn't taking a cut, we were *withholding taxes*"
In "Who can steal more" competition. I believe this time they "score" more $$$ than mafia in the famous airport robbery.
Everyone knows these are just mob wars, plain and simple. The Sopranos get to control real-life casinos, and the Obamos get to control virtual casinos. Government is just a form of mafia, only the more so.
Intellectual Property: an immaterial non-entity, most fiercely contended by those with no proper intellect to speak of.
Wow, now that was a time when American's were educated. You can actually see it by the way they wrote.
Although, it's like this everywhere in the world. People used to speak so eloquently, as if they were writing a book as they spoke. Just, I don't know, the way they used their words, described things. That's one thing I liked about Clinton, he was kind of like that. You could tell he was very smart and educated, despite everything.