Sportsbook.com closed my account

[Shaqalicious]

Why?? Because Indiana prohibits online gambling. This is a bunch of bullshit. They went out of their way to say "business as usual," and within a week my fucking account is closed.

Now, they had BETTER give me my money I had in my account. I can't access ANYTHING. I can't request a withdrawal, I can't do shit!!! At least when all those poker sites closed down they let their players withdraw their damn money!!!

[Shaqalicious]

Your account has been temporarily de-activated due to the fact that the state that you registered the account under does not allow internet gaming. Our accounts department will be updating us shortly as to the status of any funds or pending wagers in your account. We will be contacting you as soon as possible with this information. Please accept out most sincere apologies for this, and we thank you for your understanding.

[yomonte]

Has'nt online gambling always been illegal.

[BoilerBacker]

Sportingbet PLC just sold Sportsbook to the management team. This is my biggest book and the first I used when I started doing this....it is of some concern to me. They said Sportingbet is leaving the US market.

Here is some info regarding Indiana...

Indiana Curbs Online Gambling
By Earl
The state senate has passed a bill “meant to curb online gambling by targeting the operators of illegal casino Web sites and the Internet service providers that make them available to Hoosiers [Indiana citizens].”

Senate Bill 71 passed 49-1 in a legislative body considered by political experts of be among the most conservative in the country, be the state senators Democrats or Republicans. The measure, if enacted, would make the operation of gambling websites a felony if they are accessible to Indiana residents. This scenario would raise certain questions regarding the Constitutional rights of American gambling website operators operating from other states (although they would probably not be at risk of being extradited by their own states for committing a crime “in” Indiana). However, such out-of-state offenders would be served notice that they are committing a crime according to Indiana law, and unless they dismantle their sites, or block Indiana Internet users from access, within 30 days, local Indiana prosecutors could file charges against them, according to the passionate author of the bill, Senator David Ford, a Republican serving Hartford City, Indiana.


The bill now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration.


“`All of this (Internet gambling) is unregulated. We can't tax it. We can't control it,'’ said Ford, who added: “...Internet gambling already is illegal in Indiana under the federal Interstate Wire Act, which prohibits betting using telephone lines or other wire communications. But state law gives prosecutors few tools to combat it...”

[emericj]

Shaq - any update on your account status? Did you get your money out?

Interesting - they called me last week - on October 12 as a matter of fact and the rep asked if I was going to place money into my account.

I questioned him about the recent developments. His response was 'we don't believe it's illegal, so we're staying open to the US'. He was going to call me back on Oct 13 (friday) as I had questions about certain soccer lines. He was going to hunt those lines down and call me back. He never did.

Now I wonder if it was one last ploy to get me to deposit money into my account and then shut me down...keeping my money.

So that's why I'm wondering what happened with your situation Shaq?

[DJTranks]

Originally posted by yomonte
Has'nt online gambling always been illegal.

Not really, only 8 states have declared it illegal.. The Wire act only prohibits calling over the phone illegal and has not been updated to include online gambling.

The 8 states are..

U.S. states have laws prohibiting Internet gambling: Washington, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, South Dakota, Michigan and Oregon.

I live in NY and the law states:

"Fortunately for the player, gambling itself is not illegal under New York law. It is the promotion of gambling, and possession of gambling records or gambling devices which is illegal."

"Hence, while an Internet gambler's activity is gambling, it is not criminal."

[Kevin]

They wont run off with anybody's money.

I believe the rules have changed now that they've sold to a private company as well.

[Shaqalicious]

Yeah, they eventually let me get back into my account, about a day after this all occured. They split with SportbetPLC or whatever their parent company is called, so I can wager on Sportsbook, but can no longer play poker on Paradise.

[Rainmaker]

DJ, can u tell me where I can go to read the info on NY and it's laws.

[woodfall]

NY Consolodated Laws:

http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS

Search Gambling, check out the penal law sections