WOW...

Just when some corporate indicators were pointing toward regulated online poker in the US (Wynn/Pokerstars partnership, Caesars/888 rubber stamp from Nevada etc), the US Department of Justice yesterday went whack with indictments issued to a bunch of people connected with the three biggest US facing online poker rooms...Full Tilt, PokerStars and Absolute Poker.

Here's the DOJ release on the indictments...

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pres...dictmentpr.pdf

This is major news for the US online poker world.

Among those indicted were:

  • PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg
  • PokerStars payment processing department head Paul Tate
  • Full Tilt founder Raymond Bitar
  • Full Tilt pmt processing chief Nelson Burtnick
  • Absolute Poker founders Scott Tom and Brent Beckley
  • payment processing intermediaries Ryan Lang, Ira Rubin, Bradley Franzen and Chad Elie
  • vice chairman of and part owner of SunFirst Bank, John Campos

5 domains have been seized and 76 bank accounts in 14 countries frozen.

Oh, and Steve Wynn's much publicized partnership with PokerStars appears to have now dissolved. Wynn Resorts spokesman Michael Weaver announced shortly after the indictments were made public that the partnership had been terminated.

Never a dull moment in online gambling!