Just when you thought it was over, another 10 internet gambling sites were seized in the United States on Monday. This time, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, the primary domain names of Bookmaker.com, 2Betsdi.com, Fun Time Bingo, Golden Arch Casino, True Poker, Betmaker.com, Bet Grande Sports, DoylesRoom, Bet E-Horse, and BetEd were targeted.
Trying to access these domain names yields Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigation Special Agent shields similar to those found on Black Friday. Text below the two shields explains, “This domain has been seized by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, Office of the Special Agent in Charge, Baltimore, MD, in accordance with a warrant obtained with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.”U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein commented in a press release on Monday, “It is illegal for internet gambling enterprises to do business in Maryland, regardless of where the website operator is located. We cannot allow foreign website operators to flout the law simply because their headquarters are based outside the country.”
William Winter, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, added, “The proceeds from illegal internet gambling are often used to fuel organized crime and support criminal activity.”
In a slight difference from the Black Friday indictments, the involvement of online wagering on sports appears to be at least partly involved. The same press release charged, “The indictments allege that the defendants own and manage illegal gambling businesses involving online sports betting.” The contents of 11 bank accounts spread across five countries was frozen.
DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson (pictured) stepped away from the site in recent days. However, his name and face continued to grace the online poker room’s website. Moreover, according to DoylesRoom’s CEO, the eight members of the DoylesRoom Brunson 10 were each having their contracts renegotiated; how today’s news affects the group of up-and-coming poker stars remains to be seen.As part of today’s indictments, ThrillX Systems (BetEd), Darren Wright, K23 Group Financial Services (BMX Entertainment), and Ann Marie Puig all were charged. Allegedly, according to the indictments, “ThrillX… is a software solutions provider producing online sports book and casino software. BMX Entertainment… operates six websites that offer online sports betting services.”
The sting involved the U.S. Government opening a payment processing company dubbed Linwood Payment Solutions. The company then made contact with the “top managers of gambling organizations to discuss the internet gambling business, to negotiate contracts and terms of the processing, and to handle the intricate movement and processing of collection and payment data from the gambling organizations to the banks.”The Feds allegedly then gave $500 to an online gambler located in Maryland. “The gambler created an account on a BetEd website and placed several bets,” the press release heralded. “On March 30, 2010, BetEd used Linwood to wire transfer $100 in winnings to the gambler’s bank account.” As part of the undercover operation, Linwood Payment Solutions paid out over $35 million in a 14-month period.
Each defendant faces up to 25 years behind bars on charges of operating an illegal gambling business and money laundering. DoylesRoom and True Poker make their home on the Yatahay Network.
According to its website, PaymentProcessingSolutions.com, Linwood Payment Solutions offers payroll services, payroll tax services, check printing, check distribution, year-end services, payment services, and garnishment services, among other products. Its contact telephone number is based in New Jersey and its website was created in 2009.
Today’s indictments were sealed on April 26th. Eleven days prior to that, the domain names belonging to PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and UB were seized in the United States. The founders of these sites and their associated payment processors were indicted on charges that included money laundering and violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA.
Ironically, on Tuesday, the Poker Players Alliance is holding a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC at 1:00pm ET calling for the legalization and regulation of online poker.
