TONYG ONLINE POKER RELUCTANTLY CLOSES FOR U.S. PLAYERS.
"It's a very, very sad day for TonyG..."
The usually ebullient poker pro TonyG was in an uncharacteristically negative mood this week when he notified players using his online poker site that he could no longer continue to accept US players.
Notices on the site, emails to US players and posts on his blog reflected the pro's reluctance to take the lock-out route, saying:
"It's a very, very sad day for TonyG. There are no options for me to keep the room open to USA players.
"I feel very sad for all of you good folks in the USA but your government is very aggressive right now and is running loose. Neteller money has been seized from people that have done nothing wrong. Who knows if and when it will be returned to the people it belongs to. And where will the government stop in its quest to wipe out internet poker?
"My legal advice is not to close, but the hosting company in Malta also wants to close the doors to USA players. I could still keep Tony G. Poker going, since I believe poker is a game of skill, but with the USA government on a rampage, happy to freeze the funds of players that only wanted to play poker, that will put everyone at great risk as we have no way to pay our USA players."
The well known and respected poker pro went on to say that his hand had been been forced and he was unable to continue. Coinciding with the blog posts, the following email was sent to US players:
"Dear Valued Player,
"Due to recent changes in the US legislation, we regret that we can no longer continue to allow US players access to our money tables. All players who have an account registered with a US country code will no longer have access to our money tables, however will still be allowed access to our free money tables.
"Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.
"Tony G Poker"
The email closed with suggestions for US players to withdraw their funds. The process includes an option to transfer funds to the three main online poker sites continuing to carry on business with US clients - Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet and Poker Stars.
The predicament that US player face as a result of the actions of their own government is highlighted by the closing statement in the TonyG email:
"Regrettably, there is no banking option open at this time since everything is being closed to USA citizens and the government's strong arm tactics of protecting our borders from poker has removed yet another freedom. I want you to know that I will do my best to guarantee payment to you and keep your faith in dealing with me. You can check back here for updates."
"It's a very, very sad day for TonyG..."
The usually ebullient poker pro TonyG was in an uncharacteristically negative mood this week when he notified players using his online poker site that he could no longer continue to accept US players.
Notices on the site, emails to US players and posts on his blog reflected the pro's reluctance to take the lock-out route, saying:
"It's a very, very sad day for TonyG. There are no options for me to keep the room open to USA players.
"I feel very sad for all of you good folks in the USA but your government is very aggressive right now and is running loose. Neteller money has been seized from people that have done nothing wrong. Who knows if and when it will be returned to the people it belongs to. And where will the government stop in its quest to wipe out internet poker?
"My legal advice is not to close, but the hosting company in Malta also wants to close the doors to USA players. I could still keep Tony G. Poker going, since I believe poker is a game of skill, but with the USA government on a rampage, happy to freeze the funds of players that only wanted to play poker, that will put everyone at great risk as we have no way to pay our USA players."
The well known and respected poker pro went on to say that his hand had been been forced and he was unable to continue. Coinciding with the blog posts, the following email was sent to US players:
"Dear Valued Player,
"Due to recent changes in the US legislation, we regret that we can no longer continue to allow US players access to our money tables. All players who have an account registered with a US country code will no longer have access to our money tables, however will still be allowed access to our free money tables.
"Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.
"Tony G Poker"
The email closed with suggestions for US players to withdraw their funds. The process includes an option to transfer funds to the three main online poker sites continuing to carry on business with US clients - Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet and Poker Stars.
The predicament that US player face as a result of the actions of their own government is highlighted by the closing statement in the TonyG email:
"Regrettably, there is no banking option open at this time since everything is being closed to USA citizens and the government's strong arm tactics of protecting our borders from poker has removed yet another freedom. I want you to know that I will do my best to guarantee payment to you and keep your faith in dealing with me. You can check back here for updates."
