28-Year-Old Key to Offensive Against Internet Poker Sites

[The Straight Story]

28-Year-Old Key to Offensive Against Internet Poker Sites

A young Australian who made millions off the online poker industry may have been instrumental in an FBI offensive against it that was so large it could end up wiping it out in the United States, at least for a while. Eleven people, including the founders of the three largest poker sites available to American players, were charged by a federal grand jury for a variety of crimes, including fraud, illegal gambling, and money laundering. The feds, who unsealed the indictments Friday, seized Internet domain names and the government is seeking $3 billion in damages.

The FBI may not have had a case if it weren't for Daniel Tzvetkoff, an Internet whiz from Brisbane who started his first company at 13. A year ago Tzvetkoff was arrested in a casino in Las Vegas and was accused of creating an illegal system that allowed the poker sites to skirt U.S. laws against online gambling and collect more than $500 million in transactions.

But he was then quietly released and it is believed he helped guide law enforcement officials through the maze that is the online gambling structure, reports the Courier Mail. His decision to turn against his old employers may not have been a difficult one. It turns out they may have been the ones who tipped off the FBI that Tzvetkoff was going to be traveling to the United States, angry that the young Australian had allegedly stolen $100 million from them. Even though Congress passed an anti-gambling law in 2006, "most sites found ways to work around the vaguely worded measure," notes the Los Angeles Times. Now it is estimated that as many as 10 million Americans play poker online for money.

http://slatest.slate.com/id/2291475/entry/4/

[opihimoimoi]

1. Shut those loopholes and send the dude to jail...simple enough signal to others

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. Why?

What's wrong with Internet gambling that's not wrong with Vegas or Tahoe gambling?

[Adsos Letter]

4. No free drinks at the blackjack table...

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. +1 who cares if people want to throw their money away?

[Adsos Letter]

2. "...angry that the young Australian had allegedly stolen $100 million from them."

Interesting. I wonder how much time he'll spend looking over his shoulder.

[aikoaiko]

6. Online gaming should not be illegal in the US.

Regulate it.
Tax it.
Profit.

[provis99]

8. you can't regulate and tax offshore gambling.

[aikoaiko]

9. I'm sure they would work something out to be legit and people could move money in and out with ease

Heck, even the Swiss banks are working with the IRS now.

[TransitJohn]

10. It wouldn't be offshore if it were legal. n/t

n/t

[walldude]

7. Man we are so busy forcing our pathetic "morals"

onto people that we can't see past the "problem" to the solution.

Why is it our solutions to problems are always, shoot them, arrest them, incarcerate them? Except the snitches, those we set free.