On Friday April 15th, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment charging eleven individuals affiliated with three of the world’s most popular online poker websites (Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker) with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (“UIGEA”), money laundering, and bank and wire fraud. DOJ also seized the domains of the three websites in connection with its filing of a companion civil money laundering and forfeiture action. The indictment marks the first time that the Department of Justice has pursued criminal charges against sites that exclusively offer users the ability to play poker online.
