PPA ‘Disappointed’ by Seizure of Online Poker FundsSouthern District of New York Freezes Payment Processor Accounts |
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The Poker Players Alliance released a statement today condemning the recent action taken by the Southern District of New York that has left an estimated $30 million of online poker players’ money frozen.
“The PPA is disappointed that this unprecedented action has been commenced against law-abiding poker players,” said PPA Chairman and former N.Y. Senator Alfonse D’Amato. “The payment processor funds frozen by the Southern District of New York belong to individual poker players — not operators of poker websites — and do not represent the proceeds of any gambling activity, much less illegal gambling activity.”
Online poker players have had trouble depositing and withdrawing money from poker sites using the popular eChecks option in recent days. Several poker sites, including PokerStars and Full Tilt, are not currently allowing customers to select the eChecks option.
According to the PPA, the Southern District has ordered three banks — Citibank, Goldwater Bank, and Alliance Bank of Arizona — to freeze the funds in question.
“This money should be immediately released by the Southern District to ensure that player payouts are not further disrupted,” said D’Amato. “To that end, the PPA is coordinating a legal strategy to appropriately protect PPA members who are impacted by the Southern District’s actions. Further, the PPA has contacted the affected poker websites and has been informed that deposit and payout issues of players are being addressed and will be fully satisfied.”
The news immediately sparked concern amongst poker players that they would have trouble accessing their funds. Full Tilt, however, has issued the following statement:
“Full Tilt Poker would like to assure all players that their funds remain safe and secure. Processing of both deposit and withdrawal requests is proceeding as normal and is still available to all of our players in the U.S.
“The issue involving the freezing of some funds affected only one of the many check processors that Full Tilt Poker uses to support player withdrawals. We do not expect any further interruption in check withdrawals or any other withdrawal methods, and any player who wishes to make a withdrawal should expect normal processing times. All players who were affected by the current situation have had their funds returned to their Full Tilt Poker accounts and all new withdrawal requests are processing normally.”
Still, the PPA appears poised to fight the Southern District’s actions.
“We will continue to pursue every legal course available to ensure that in this instance, poker players’ funds are not seized and their right to play online poker is protected,” said D’Amato.
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