Major online gambling sites are shut down and their founders charged with bank fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors are seeking to recover $3 billion from the Internet poker sites.
The FBI on Friday shut down the websites of all three poker firms, replacing their home pages with the message: "This domain name has been seized by the F.B.I. pursuant to an Arrest Warrant."In a news release, Full Tilt called online poker "a game of skill enjoyed by millions of people" and said it remained committed to preserving the rights of poker fans "to play the game they love online."
"Mr. Bitar and Full Tilt Poker believe online poker is legal -- a position also taken by some of the best legal minds in the United States," the company said.
Bitar added in the statement: "I am surprised and disappointed by the government's decision to bring these charges. I look forward to Mr. Burtnick's and my exoneration."
full tilt poker, fulltilt, party poker, poker, poker star, poker stars, pokerstars
