Full Tilt under the US microscope?

02/22/2010

As yet unconfirmed reports circulating on the popular poker message board twoplustwo suggest that FBI agents may be probing the activities of the Full Tilt Poker site, online poker's second largest and global provider of Internet poker.

The fact that agents have allegedly been contacting players in the state of Washington, the only state where draconian anti-online gambling measures directly target the player, has been noted, although as far as is known none of those contacted has been warned that charges may be pending.

The visits may not be aimed at prosecuting players at all, say some observers, but a preparation for the implementation of the UIGEA by enforcement agencies. The UIGEA regulations come into force on June 1st 2010 following a controversial postponement last year, and there is speculation that the reported FBI enquiries are more related to going after transactions with Full Tilt rather than individual players.

Players who were visited unannounced by the agents appeared to confirm this view, saying that the agents were almost exclusively interested in how transactions with Full Tilt worked. Several felt that the enquiries suggested an information-seeking intention, perhaps indicating that a case was being assembled to short-circuit financial transactions with the online poker provider once the UIGEA is in effect.