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In a series of emails sent out to customers Monday, online poker's biggest room, Poker Stars, admitted that its Instant eCheck processor had funds frozen over the past week. The company would not elaborate any further. Gambling911.com first broke the news Friday that the US Attorney out of New York had acted to shut the processor down, though it was not immediately clear at that time if any indictments were handed down or if monies were actually confiscated.
An email like the one appearing below was sent out to a number of customers:
Dear xxxxxxx,
Following our previous communication, we regret to inform you that our check provider's bank account remains frozen, the funds are not accessible, and it's not known when the funds will be released. The provider's legal team and the Poker Players Association (PPA) are working on this matter.
In order to make the funds available to you without further delay, we have credited your PokerStars account with the outstanding check amount (details below) from our own funds. We have also credited your account with an additional 10% bonus as a good will gesture for the disruption this matter has caused.
Transaction ID:248xxxx
Amount:$xxx.00
Check #:925xxx
Mailed date:1-Jun-09
If you wish to resubmit your cashout request, you can do so from our Cashier by selecting the check option (your new check will be issued on a different account and can be deposited as normal) or wire transfer (only available for amounts greater than [$2,500]).
Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience.
Best Regards,
PokerStars Payments Department
The problem was isolated only to Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. Absolute Poker and its sister site, UltimateBet.com were still accepting eCheck deposits and paying out via their eCheck platform.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
