Maryland Actions Most Certainly Concern to Online Poker
When Gambling911.com first broke the news this past weekend that the US Attorney's Office out of Maryland had been embroiled in an aggressive probe of online casino powerhouse, Golden Casino, the online poker community breathed some sigh of relief.
Golden Casino after all is not an Internet poker room. Fears were mounting that one or more poker sites might be a focus of the investigation.
There is little reason to rejoice however.
While the Baltimore, Maryland office might be specifically focused on Golden Casino - and quite possibly other online casino ventures - it was also revealed in our report that this office has joined forces in what is now a multi-state, multi-agency investigation. The significance to online poker interests is that the Southern District of New York US Attorney's office is now also involved. Their probe seems to focus mostly on Internet poker processors, specifically those used to funnel money in and out of both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars.
Thus far, the Poker Players Alliance has failed to act in an aggressive manner towards the New York US Attorney investigation and the cost, we are told by our sources, "could prove devastating". That's because the investigation is intensifying.
Costigan Media, which owns the Gambling911.com website, has been granted access to any information related to upcoming indictments in that matter. As part of New York Circuit Court Honorable Judge Laura Swain Taylor's precedent-setting decision in Costigan Media's Motion to Intervene, the US Attorney's Office must first notify the Court of indictments in order that information contained within related seizure warrants may be unsealed.
The Court ruled that some information contained within said warrants should remain redacted (sealed) as not to interfere with any current investigations. Both the US Attorney's Office and Costigan Media decided not to file an appeal following Judge Swain's carefully rendered decision. This is the first time an electronic media outlet has been granted access to sealed affidavits and other court documents by a New York Circuit Court.
US Customs and the Louisiana State Police have also joined forces in the Maryland investigation.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
