Last Friday was dubbed Black Friday for the poker world when the founders of three top poker sites in the industry faced indictments. This was taken further when the primary domains of these sites were seized. The Department of Justice has warned players of FullTiltPoker.com, PokerStars.com and Cereus Network’s AbsolutePoker.com and UB.com. The department states that carrying out a gambling business that is illegal is a federal crime.
Soon after the indictments, these sites have taken measures to comply with the ban. PokerStars does not accept US players at its tournaments and ring games. Full Tilt Poker too has taken the same step. On the other hand, Cereus Network continues to allow registered US players to take part on their real money games. However, new players from the US are barred from playing at their sites. Registered US players at the network are presently prevented from withdrawing or depositing money at the network’s sites.
The primary opponent of these sites is the Southern District of New York US Attorney’s Office (SDNY). The operators are also faced with a $3 billion civil claim the SDNY has filed against them. In the past, the SDNY has been responsible for a fiasco that Neteller faced and funds seizures following it. The SDNY has been dedicated to closing down poker site operators and payment processors. This is indicated in the fact that the investigation leading to Black Friday was spread over four years.
One of the key impacts of the issue on the online poker industry was on its traffic. While most operators have been badly affected by this, a few others have benefited quite a bit from Black Friday. In the past week, the global market for online poker has fallen by 23%. Majority of these losses were those of FullTiltPoker.com and PokerStars.com, which dropped by 48% and 25% respectively. Cereus Network fell by 39%.
The numbers indicate that the one to have lost the most is FullTiltPoker.com, a site which may lose more in the weeks to come. The site is, nevertheless, much bigger than its closest competitor, PartyPoker.com. FullTiltPoker.com currently faces one of the most challenging situations – that of players leaving, which can lead to a drop in action at the site.
Merge Gaming Experiences Significant Rise in its Traffic
One company that has not been subjected to the SDNY’s scrutiny as yet is Merge Gaming Network. It enjoyed a 23% rise in traffic following Black Friday. The network is one of the largest digital gaming providers for online poker rooms and sites like Carbon Poker and Sportsbook.com are offering fantastic promotions in order to entice new players.
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