Online Gambling Funds Seizure Case
Online Gambling Funds Seizure Case
Even before the passing of the UIGEA the Department of Justice (DoJ) was taking steps against online gambling. The prosecutions of the owners of Neteller and PartyGaming are examples. In a move that took everybody by surprise
the DoJ under the Obama administration went much further in its efforts to curb online gambling. It seized funds meant for disbursement to online players. In June 2009
the United States District Court of Southern District of New York issued a civil seizure warrant against funds in named accounts in specified banks. The warrant was issued on the basis of an affidavit given by a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The agent averred that the funds were subject to seizure and civil forfeiture as per law. Accordingly Arlo Devlin-Brown
the assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York instructed the four banks to freeze said accounts. The accounts were in a Wells Fargo bank in San Francisco and in Alliance Bank of Arizona among others. The accounts belonged to an online payment processor. The exact reason given for the seizure was that the funds were involved in money laundering transactions and illegal gambling offenses. The total amount seized was between $30 million and $40 million. The online gaming industry was up in arms against this seizure. The online poker industry was most affected because most of the funds seized came from PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) spoke out strongly against the DoJ. It claimed that there was no legal standing for the action because the UIGEA regulations were not yet applicable and the Wire Act applied only to sports betting. Costigan Media filed a motion in the court to unseal the court records relating to the issuance of the warrant so that the legality of the action could be examined. Account Services Corporation
the payment processor whose funds had been seized
filed a motion for the return of property. While all these legal battles were playing out in the courts
the DoJ and the FBI delivered a second punch in the case. They filed an indictment charging the owner of the seized accounts with bank fraud and other offenses. The owner was Douglas Rennick who operated a number of payment processing companies such as KJB Financial Corporation
Account Services Corporation and Check Payment Financial Co. It is alleged that since 2007 Rennick has processed more than $350 million for online gambling operators. His modus operandi was as follows. He opened the accounts stating that he would be using them to issue rebate checks and for payroll processing. However
funds from offshore online gambling companies were received in the accounts and disbursed to U.S. residents withdrawing their gambling winnings. The 34 year old Rennick is a resident of Canada. He has been charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud
conspiracy to engage in money laundering and conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business. The punishment that Rennick faces if found guilty is a maximum of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million fine on the bank fraud charge
20 years in prison and a fine of $500
000 on the money laundering charge and 5 years in prison and a fine of $250
000 fine on the illegal gambling charge. Articles from Casino Advisor
Blackjack Games with Progressive Jackpots
There is one advantage that online blackjack players have over their land-based counterparts which is not often written about. This advantage is that online blackjack players have access to some blackjack games that offer progressive jackpots. Good blackjack players may be able to make a steady income over an extended time span but they will rarely make huge single payouts in normal blackjack games. To provide online blackjack players with the excitement of slots some of the leading software providers have included progressive blackjack games in their portfolio. Vegas Technology offers a game called Progressive Blackjack. In this game the progressive jackpot is hit when the player is dealt four aces of the same suit. When this happens the player gets 100% of the amount in the jackpot pool. If the player is dealt four aces of different suits then the jackpot payout is 10% of the jackpot pool. This progressive blackjack game offers some fixed payouts as well. In order to be eligible for the progressive jackpot payouts the players have to place an additional wager of $1. The progressive blackjack game offered by Playtech is also called Progressive Blackjack. This game also offers the jackpot payout when the player is dealt four aces of the same suit. However there is no second jackpot of a smaller amount. There are fixed payouts for combinations like three suited aces and four unsuited aces. One of the advantages of this game is that even a single ace offers a payout of $5. Cryptologic also offers Progressive Blackjack. In this game the jackpot is easier to win because it is hit when the player is dealt four aces of the same color
and not necessarily of the same suit. There is no second jackpot. As in the other progressive blackjack games he described earlier there are fixed payouts of various combinations of suited and unsuited aces. This game also has a voluntary wager of $1 towards the progressive jackpot. Microgaming has a penchant for doing things differently and this is reflected in the progressive blackjack game that it offers. Here the jackpot is not based on aces but on sevens and the game is called Triple Sevens. If the player is dealt three diamond sevens then he hits the progressive jackpot. As in the other progressive jackpot blackjack games
Triple Sevens offers fixed payouts for various combinations of sevens. These range from 1000 coins for three suited sevens other than that of diamonds to 50 coins for two suited sevens. The Microgaming progressive blackjack game hits more frequently than the others but offers lower average payouts. Like any other progressive jackpot online casino games
progressive blackjack games are also high risk games. The chances of hitting the jackpot are remote and the $1 wager for the progressive jackpot can be burdensome for low rollers. A player who places a normal wager of $1 has to double his outlay to play for the progressive jackpot. However a player who places a normal wager of $10 only has to pay 10% more for playing the progressive jackpot. Therefore very clearly progressive jackpot blackjack games are attuned to the high rollers at online casinos. Articles from Casino Advisor
Online Blackjack Tourneys
Im going to play in an online blackjack tourney this weekend. Cant wait!! Where can you play online blackjack tourneys? Well most online casino sites will offer you options to play blackjack
but to find a tourney you should do a search for one and find a recognised gambling site to play at. There are loads [...]
Card Counting In Blackjack
Card counting in blackjack will help you reduce or better the house edge
so its worth learning how to do card counting. Most experienced gamblers will already know how to count cards as they apply the skill to other casino games. People learning how to master blackjack always ask is it difficult to master the art [...]
Advantage Play
All good gamblers look for the game or bet where the odds are to their advantage. How much money are you going to put in
versus how much are you going to get out? Minimize your risk and maximize your return. Advantage play in short. The casino is always going to look after themselves first with [...]
Downloading Microgaming Casino Software
In order to download the software of a Microgaming online casino
players will need to access the casino web site. They can then initiate the downloading process by clicking on the download link
which is prominently displayed in the lobby. Alternatively players can use the download link provided in the Casino Advisor web site. Casino Advisor reviews and recommends a large number of Microgaming online casinos and provides direct download links for these casinos. Note that the below steps are provided that you’re downloading and installing the software from Internet Explorer. Although the steps will be very similar if you were to do the same but from FireFox or other web browser. Downloading and Installing Microgaming Software Video Tutorial: Attention: In order to view our tutorial on how to download and install Microgaming online casino software you’ll need to have the Adobe Flash player installed on your computer. Get Flash Player – Click Here var fo = new FlashObject(“template/v1/f/tutorials/microgaming-install-tutorial.swf”
“microgaming_install_tutorial”
“483″
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“#000000″); fo.addParam(“quality”
“best”); fo.addParam(“allowfullscreen”
“true”); fo.addParam(“wmode”
“transparent”); fo.addParam(“menu”
“false”); fo.write(“microgaming-install-tutorial”); Set of Steps for Downloading and Installing Microgaming Software: Step #1 On clicking the download link a box is displayed asking the player if he wants to save the file. If the player wants to proceed with the download he should click the Save File button. Sometimes visitors to the online casino lobby inadvertently click the download link. They can abort the download process by clicking the Cancel button. Alternatively you could also first visit the website and download the software directly from the casinos website vs. clicking the download link here in Casino Advisor that would do the same thing. Step #2 Clicking on the Save File button saves the executable file onto the players computer at which point you can execute the file after it’s completed downloading. The other option would be to click the “Run” button to commence the installation of the mini downloader file. Step #3 The player should double click the icon on the desktop while remaining connected to the Internet to proceed further with the downloading provided that the save file option was used in the previous step. Regardless though once the setup has started you’ll receive a security warning is displayed giving the details of the file. It states that the publisher is Microgaming Software Systems Limited. If the player is satisfied with the information provided he should click on the Run button to proceed. The player has the option to abort the installation by clicking on the Cancel button. Step #4 When the Run button is clicked a Window opens with a large Install Casino button. Clicking on this button implies that the player has accepted the End User License Agreement and the downloading proceeds. However the correct procedure is to click on the link to open the End User License Agreement and read the agreement. Only after being satisfied with the contents of the agreement the player should click ob the button that says “I have read and accept the license agreement”. This will directly start the downloading process. Step #5 While the casino software is downloading
Microgaming initiates the registration process. Players who want to save time can register while the downloading is in progress. They also have the option of registering later. It is recommended that the registration be done now. While the downloading is going on information about the casino is displayed on the screen. This includes its security and support features and the category of online casino games on offer. Step #6 As soon as the sof
tware is downloaded the casino opens. If players have already registered they can enter their passwords and log in. Microgaming software automatically starts downloading the casino games in a predetermined sequence. However players can supersede this sequence by downloading the games they prefer first. Microgaming recommends the use of a 1 GHz processor
128 MB system memory and 250 MB of free space in the hard disc. With a dial up connection the download can take 8 minutes
but with a broadband connection this could come down to less than a minute. Articles from Casino Advisor
Win A 5 Night Trip To Las Vegas At Foxy Bingo
One lucky roomie and friend are going to start 2009 in style with a 5 night trip to the city of Las Vegas
staying in the MGM Grand Hotel on the world famous Strip. The shootjack live bingo winner will try their luck on the casinos
wine and dine in the beautiful bars and restaurants and [...]
