Great take peoples money, you should be proud. Hope the weapons you buy with these stolen funds don't work when you need them most.

What most of you idiots don't understand is that this money belongs to regular people who like to pass a little time paying online poker, instead of having to drive or fly 4 hours to go to a casino.

To the police you should spend your time fighting real crime like drugs, how long has the war been going on, 30, 40 years, but if i play a $5 game of poker you take my money. Shame on you and the USA.

Karma will be back around to plunder you in good time. You are nothing more than thieves, openly bragging about stealing then spending on weapons. I hope you shoot your eyes out.

This is sickening. We really needed to save the world from wanting to gamble on the internet. You know what pokerstars did with the money in accounts that were too minimal to cash out? They donated it. You guys are just out for yourselves. So disgusting

So you steal money from American citizens who did nothing wrong and then you take a picture and flaunt it in there face. Around 50,000 people used online poker as their main source of income and are now out of jobs while you use their money to buy new police cars and ****. Its our money not yours and I hope everything you use it for fails.

You guys are just terrible human beings. You are literally spending money that legally belonged to thousands of average people across the USA. And you gloat about it in a news publication? You are deplorable people. I've never been more embarrassed to be an American. Despicable.

I also think this is a shame. I'd like to see data to back up the claims that internet gambling and poker funds are largely used to fund illegal activities.

Our cops are crooks, themselves. They are having a hard time due to economic downturn, and their solution is to steal from American citizens, which is pathetic. This "seizure" is nothing more than a kickback from the police, to the police, masked in law, if you can call it that.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department should be ashamed of themselves for taking this money, which IS largely from normal Americans and bragging that they have achieved or accomplished anything noble by doing so. They stole from the public, plain and simple.

So they have taken money that belongs to American citizens. That's stealing! We should inform the police, oh wait...

I am a tax paying poker player who is suffering economic hardships because my money was seized. I did nothing illegal, nor was I notified who had my money. Here you are spending it on weapons. I never thought I would lose faith in America. The government in this country is as corrupt as any other. I am absolutely disgusted in this theft. The people behind this are worse than any drug dealer or gambling organization. They are the true criminals.

honestly, America is taking away the rights and freedoms of US players. I hope all the players leave Maryland and go somwehere else where they CAN play online poker, and hopefully the economy of Maryland will go busto, the same direction the whole US economy is going. If the government had any intelligence they would get it regulated and tax it, instead they think they have the right to steal from everyday Americans. THE WHOLE GOD DAMN GOVERNMENT IS CORRUPT, and it obvioulsy has no clue what direction to take.

People in a position of authority going after an easy target like online gambling instead of looking in their own back yard (Wall Street) where banks knowingly swindled anyones funds they could get there hands on. Take poker players money, wow what justice u are doing for your country

PATTONE
SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN TAX PAYER ALL OUR FREEDOMS ARE GOING FAST

big money make police do bad thing many time. very sad police do them. lie many to give money and not same say hope can weapon money back. sorry many police steel u i hope have food can eat and money doctor and babie go skool. thailand sad for u 2 and we vey sorry police do fro u

Wow. Just wow.

It was Americans who were gambling at these places. With the little money you haven't already stolen to help the poor millionaire banksters. Money Americans earned legally and wanted a way to relax.

So if you seized funds from 'evil gambling operations' then why not give it back to the Americans who had placed their money in these 'evil operations'?

I mean, that would be the honest thing to do, if they were really out to protect the American public's best interest, no?

But instead, you show your true colors by not only stealing the money, but then bragging about how you thieves distribute these stolen funds!

As my grandmother would say 'you got some chutzpah!'

May God bless America and restore it to what it used to be. Before thieves and swine finish bringing it down.

pathetic. absolutely pathetic to have a photo op for stealing americans money.

Hogs at the trough. Truly disgusting.

I was once a very proud American but when money is stolen by the government from people that have done nothing wrong and given to corrupt police departments that are rewarded for this theft it makes me wonder how anyone can call this the land of the free. When police are rewarded for their seizures it promotes corruption, especially when they are rewarded for stealing from people that did nothing wrong.

I would like to see one authority that says online poker leads to organized crime prove it. Most of the companies are publicly traded companies much like Las Vegas casinos are and employ thousands of people. If our country had a clue we would bring those jobs here but I guess it is easier to just steal it and buy guns with it. No wonder we have become the laughing stock of the world.

Someone made a good point, that these "criminal gangs" you refer to have London stock market listing. YOU are the criminal gangs, not anyone else. I lost over $2,000 that was going towards my mortgage and car payment in this "bust". All because I wanted to spend my money gambling online instead of a land based casino!!! I am done trying to be a good American, this has become a place with very few freedoms left. Pledge allegiance to America.... Then the American gov't robs its own people.. Yeah, America, F U!

I used to look down on people who didn't pay there taxes, not anymore!!!!

how did u lose $2000 ?

USA - the new Soviet Union!

his 2000$ is probably froze online at 1 of the poker sites.....as is mine, i have over 4k stuck online also!! Straight CROOKS!!

wow, you are a risk taker. i could never bring myself to spend that kind of money online... are you a millionaire or something?

not at a risk taker at all. i was playing the smaller stakes 20-60$ tournaments. Anyways poker is a game of skill w a lil luck factored in. Around 80% skill, 20% luck......so u pretty much know when your behind in the hand. So i dont consider Poker gambling!! Its just a quick $$ grabbing scheme cooked up by our wonderful gov't of ours!!

Yep stealing from Americans who worked hard for their money and decided to spend it on poker, that's all this is. It's bad enough we have to pay you a salary out of our hard earned tax dollars, but now you get even more money from us because we like to play a little poker. Maybe now you can actually catch real bad guys like killers, and stop giving out speeding tickets. http://www.pennyauctionsreview.org

First, I totally agree that this "bust" was vs a non-crime with no victims (except the millions of Americans who lost their right to play the game.) It's an embarassment to our entire nation. Countries that are typically views as "oppressed," do NOT prohibit their citizens from the harmless act of playing online poker. They are laughing at the great USA; the land of freedom and liberty.

Second, there's a MAJOR problem with a justic system that "pays out" money to the police!! When the police are able to "cash in" on a bust, the future is obvious. They will chiefly go after the "crimes" that are high dollar. So if a multi-million (or billion) dollar "crime" is going on, that involves 2 or 3 people (often this would be a white collar crime) it's possible the police will invest an enormous amount of resources trying to cash in on this bust. All the while, thousands of violent crimes are being committed (and ignored by the police) because there's no money in busting the criminals.

Um, BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS SYSTEM!!!!!

Totally disgusting!! makes me ashamed to be an American!!!!

how do these online poker sites get your money ? do u have to give them your bank acct numbers or give them a credit card number ? I don't think I would trust internet sites with my money. I would rather go to a physical casino. Too much internet fraud nowadays..
If you win big money on these online poker sites how does the IRS collect its tax cut of the winnings ?

only america swedan have tax abbout bet. canada england thai many good place them not have. because man money not money police and obamaa. about u say not trust. many company uk gamble comission them already say site ok. same pokerstars. and can be on tv. only america ok about steal money and smile in picture when take man money. same me very sad for man live america because maybe them have baby want go school. maybe them sick. police trick and steal them money. the big company good many place. give katrin many money . like before about help usa. help many more place to same hatti same japan. only america have problem. about betfair. queen in uk two time give them prize say so good about them. why america can not play good compant. same him write money go to crime. same only because us make crime. america big but whenlook everyone very small. every place big not think same u. i hope u can understand. same amrica veay broken and many thai sad for them.

This is truly disgusting. Looting peoples money and then showing off to the public. Very shameless too. http://latestexams.com/

Just to make it utterly clear there is no record whatsoever of online gambling companies funding terrorism. The money seized here has come directly from hardworking citizens and the biggest irony is that the government actually provided the avenue that allowed citizens to deposit the money and then they siezed it. This is quite frankly the most astonishing behaviour ever by a government in a free nation.

Youve Noclue. a joke about us like say terrorish haaa. uk love support terror no? them have gamble comission say already these poker site good and ok. have big governemtn them license already. u mr Youve Noclue are not educate and not well travel. many same european union. however when police steal money. maybe next time good about give money terror. can make police not steal again.

"You actually have NO IDEA what your harmless little habit funds each and every year-its called terrorism folks-yep, about as un-American as you can get!" b4 man usa play most at poker site can buy stock on london stock market. do you say united kindom terror too. i believe u he one no idea and think look to many tv. obama not good man andlie so u can think same

With the closure of Online gambling and the enforcement of the DOJ. It looks like the players are the victims in this fiasco. Arundel county recieves $470,00.00 as a result of the closure. It is great to hear the money would go to a good cause but wouldn't regulation and taxation of online gambling do the same.

Egypt.

I'm glad to see such happy faces with the "BIG CHECK." Thanks for locking up my funds and contributing to my job loss. Much appreciated.

pattone: My comments have u wondering about what ????

want for police them can read http://www.onlinepokersites.co.uk/regulation about uk have whitelist say about pokerstars ok.

This is so sick. You should be ashamed of yourselves for taking this money from honest people and parading it around with this huge check. Land of the free? Yeah..right.. Land of the joke.

i put so can see. police censor my link make all can not know
look sale onlinepokersites dot co.uk / regulation
make can see uk say these sites okay.
not same man say abot terror. same him not know more because him look tv usa.
in united kingdom them like poker much
because poker give to new orleans big money about katrina
give big money about hatti. give big money about japan.
same them very good company. uk parliment like very much help them. becase site good people.
not terror same u say. only us think same. like to say many good man terror because them not citizen us. when look everywhere these sites okay. obama lie u make u think people bad. and make u happy police steel money.
police not like i tell u this make me can not post link so u can see. i hope u please look more and can know what police do. these good people too about make poker site.
man play poker site them same many man have baby want to go skool. themwork hard same many people. have good heart, not like sad, like happy. police take from good man because obama like say terror. but same not true

is it just me or do them guys holding the check look like pedophiles. guess they came up big. pedophiles gonna pedophile.

So typical of what is happening to our country at the current time. I personally don't need government to tell me how to spend my entertainment dollars. Just another example of "big brother" trying to coddle us and turn us all into a bunch of pansies. The money belongs to the players who put the money on the sites or won the money from their play, does not belong to the government.

This is so sickening. Love the title of the operation on the check: "Operation Texas Hold'em." Vommit!

Thugs with badges stealing PLAYERS money and gloating about it. You guys are sick!

How is feeding my children and paying my mortgage engaging in criminal activity?

Land of the free..? This is disgusting

I feel for the honest hardworking Americans who've had their money stolen by people who are supposed to be protecting them. Thankfully I live in a civilized country where the law respects our freedoms and allows us to play poker online if we choose to do so. Shame on you, America.

Hey Police Dept- shouldn't you be spending your time looking for one of those children that are missing. You know.."Have you seen me?". Or tracking down some child molestor, murderer, or rapist.

Maybe it's just me..but I can think of MANY other things that should be at the top of your "TO DO" list! Shutting down an online gambling site is NO achievment.

Start doing some real work you worthless, currupt, poor excuse of a police dept!

Sickening.
Thieves in uniforms, stealing money from their own people and buying weapons with it.
So stupid.

Absolutely disgusting. This makes me furious, and I'm not even American. If people want to play poker with their own money, where is the harm? What the hell does that have to do with organized crime? Completely clueless, in fact if these people had a clue they would be trying to hide these deplorable actions., not flaunting them. Stealing from the American public with a smile on their faces,nice.. HUD.

This is an outrage.

Because American Citizens are now so inured to kowtowing to laws now in place that patently repress their rights we so easily forget, and so often need to be reminded, that our government was created to PROTECT and CONSERVE our right to live FREELY, NOT to DICTATE HOW we live!

Our forefathers would be ashamed...Arundel Co Police Dept should be ashamed...we should all be ashamed of what we've allowed to happen to the freedoms our ancestors fought and died to enact and protect.

There's not much money in catching thieves, murderers, and rapists, so stealing from Americans is the obvious way to go.

John Thomas you have no idea what you are talking about- They weren't risking money gambling and I'm sure they aren't millionaires. There is no more risk of the poker sites stealing from you than there is of Apple stealing your money when you order something online rather than going to the Apple store.
Imagine you ordered a brand new computer online from Apple and the government stepped in and said that the way Apple was processing your payments online was illegal. Then the government went a step further and took the money you paid for your computer and gave it to the local police department across the country in Iowa where the payment processor was. Now you are out your money and you never received your computer. How is that fair to you? What laws did you break?

To John Cont...
And to address your other comment about how people can have that much money online... You could deposit as little as $10. So say you were really" gambling it up" and put on $20. You could play a tournament for $20 and take 3rd place and win $8000 if it was a big tourney. So now you have $8k on there. That's you're answer. Most people don't go and put thousands of dollars on the site. They WIN thousands. There were many people who played for a living and withdrew living expenses every month. These are the people truly being robbed by the DOJ and shady podunk police agencies like the one in NC.
And yes, taxes ARE paid on this money just like any other job but it is up to the player to pay it. Just like it is up to a waiter or waitress to claim their tips and pay taxes on them. So the whole tax argument doesn't fly because any person working any job can choose to not pay their taxes. If people who don't play would just get over their knee-jerk reaction that poker is gambling and gambling is bad so it should be stopped, there could be a lot of money to be made by the government in taxes, by websites who could now offer their goods and services legally, and the consumers to play the game that they love.

YES..."there could be a lot of money to be made by the government in taxes"...billions of dollars, yes I said BILLIONS...the answer is so obvious I simply don't understand how our government can be so Dense...legalize and REGULATE the industry...players are free to play again, many people's livelihoods are restored, the industry is controlled to prevent corruption and our nation can pay down billions of dollars of defecit...HELLO???

Why in the world would America beg for more taxes? How about we stop taxing gambling like every other civilized nation in the world. Australian's don't pay taxes on their hobbies. British don't pay taxes on their hobbies. Canadian's don't pay taxes on their hobbies. Of course Americans must because we're free. Anyone who pledges allegiance to the flag, or sings the National Anthem should have their head examined due to the current circumstances. I love the idea of America and I'll spend my life fighting for freedom and am fine if someday that costs me my life itself. One person calls me a Patriot the other unpatriotic... I guess its a fine line. How about we stop screwing with people's lives, and stop begging for more taxes and DEMAND poker be legalized because poker is just a game. Please don't buy into the PPA.. they play all sides and are the problem... not the solution. End the Ban because this is America, and banning a game, and taxing hobbies are two things as anti-American as you'll ever find. So FU to those that passed UIGEA and a bigger FU to the Poker Players Alliance PPA (may you both rot in hell)

The world is watching your disgraceful actions. I'm not American and find this dispicable behaviour totally outrageous. I hope this gets world media attention and shames that police department into figuring out who they actually owe that money to and pay them back. What they have done is nothing short of stealing from the people they are supposed to protect. Disgusting!!

This is absolutely absurd. You have stolen from your citizens. Period.

"Why in the world would America beg for more taxes?"

...because I am a realist and recognize that my ability to make a living may be restored quicker if I support reasonable taxation versus championing the abolition of a system which would in all likelihood fail...Americans pay taxes - good luck changing that

This makes me cringe, you steal hard working average Americans monies, the ones your suppose to be protecting, then flaunt it in their face? How is this even llegal, who facilitates an operation like this? You can just seize money and then take X% of it for yourself? This is suppose to be a police department, not a private contracting business...

If things keep heading down this path, the people will revolt...one day you guys will drop the draw that breaks the camel's back, shame on you.

Wait...who are the criminals here?

Hmmm, no crime was committed by the American poker players. Even if there was a crime committed by the offshore sites, there are no victims. There is zero published evidence that online poker sites are used for terrorism or organized crime. So you then sieze (steal) hundreds of thousands from American citizens and then gloat about it by taking a picture with a novelty-sized check!?! "We stole your money and now we are going to buy some new equipment. Isn't that cool?" Get real. The job of government is to protect the rights of its citizens not trample on them.

This makes me so grateful I don't live in the US. The police sound as if they're almost as corrupt as FIFA.

ya u guys can all rot cuz u r truly anti-american. freakin pigs

The guy who wrote this story up probably had no clue where the funds came from, it probably seemed like it could be a feel good story! I really hope the guy who wrote this can/is reading all of our comments. This is absolutely ridiculous, 4102228050 4102226135 4102221961 4102226145 4102226155 thats all the departments numbers. Give them a ring and let them know about this injustice!

Common thievery. This was player money and the police have stolen it from the rightful owners. Disgusting.

It's times like these you wish these people get what they deserve, at least take their badge away. The idea that they wear a badge is disgusting. Anne Arundel County Police if you are reading this you are a disgrace to the badge you wear and should be ashamed to wake up in the morning. Imagine if they shamelessly paraded around after stealing any money wired to The Rio and then took pictures of a check of the money the stole haha. The notion that this is an illegal industry is misguided at best. That's why they set up different mediums to attack a better form of gambling then the legal ones they promote with tax payer money. These errand boys effectively broke the law for some new toys like toddlers.

It's sickening the hypocritical corrupt nation we live in. Get out as fast as you can.
I'm halfway surprised they didn't try and plug their state lottery. MGMpoker.com and Harrahspoker.com will come out eventually and now all the sudden it's drastically different and legal. During the mean time let's parade around like we accomplished something, haha yea right.

Thanks for stealing our money. What a great country we live in.

Its great see the thieves smiling after they steal my money playing the LEGAL game of poker. I feel like this is Cuba. These savages have no idea the harm they are causing. They are ruining lives and smiling.

This very website is advertising texas holdem on its homepage
http://odenton.patch.com/events/texas-hold-em-tournament

Congratulations! Here is your check! And you're new friend guilt!

I feel much safer now, knowing people cannot play cards on the internet anymore and their cardplaying funds were spent on new weapons. Well earned check.

Corruption.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations actions did not prevent mobsters and terrorist organizations from getting $33 million. Their actions prevented honest, hard-working Americans from getting the money that is theirs. This money was stolen from thousands of players who did not break any laws and did not do anything wrong.

Citizens who enjoy their freedom need to stand up and fight. We are being attacked everyday under the guise of national security when in reality all they want to do is have more control over us and tell us what we can and cannot do.

Kevin : I had to chuckle when u said that people actually make their living from online gambling. thats a hell of a way to make a living. To each their own I guess. But if I won $8k thru online poker I would not let it sit in internet cyberspace. I would cash it out immediately, take the money and run!!! I would not do some withdrawal method every month to live off of. Sorry but I dont trust anyone with my money, especially not online poker sites..

This is rather disturbing, my county has taken money from American taxpayers who play poker. Let's go after real crooks in the area instead of funding coffers by what is more like stealing from fellow Americans. This really bothers me.

What's sickening about this is they are going after the most open, popular, legitimate sites and taking their $ for...ahem...WEAPONS that can kill.

Gambling won't ever go away. And so, who will take up the void? Organized crime. Because being open won't pay. Organized crime that might go out and kill and hurt people, including policemen and women.

This is outright disgusting on the highest level. I'm sure they give themselves a big "pat on the back" for a job well done. But they might want to think twice about it and realize what they are accomplishing.

Beyond theft, way to blow the roll! I am sure Anne Arundel County needed heavy duty artillery, pimped new rides, and a sweet remote control car rather then invest in the community. An extra couple hours of daily patrol in the more troubled areas, fix and tune current vehicles, support local youth programs, and one that I am sure will never be understood... save would have reached so much farther. Enjoy the toys DOJ muppets.

As a citizen who broke no laws and has thousands of dollars tied up in this mess, I am truly disgusted by the pomp and circumstance surrounding this act of common theft. Shame on you.

I wonder if the DOJ will investigate this illegal seizure of assets? Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold is a criminal thief, that's legitimate money used by online poker players in a LEGAL act...online poker is not illegal dumshets. The money should be refunded to the good people that lost the money. Its the right thing to do. Why isn't Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold's head on a stick yet? We will not forget 4/15/11 = one term president.

to john thomas, you shouldn't discuss things that you know nothing about. it makes you look foolish to people that actually have a clue what they are discussing. try learning about what you make an opinion on before speaking, it will make you not look ignorant.

This is nauseating. Stealing does not deserve praise and monetary rewards. Next time you set up one of those holiday check points, just find as many non-intoxicated law abiding citizens as you can and steal all the money they have on them and take their jewelry to buy yourselves some new weapons and cars. That is the same thing that you are doing here. It is not like you seized drug money. That money belongs to normal tax paying American citizens. Shame on you to brag about this act.

I'm not American but from a foreigners point of view this sort of thing just looks absurd.
What sort of idiotic ignorant police force sets up this sort of sting on it's own community...........and then brags about it?

lol...only in America.

Geez, and you guys have the nerv to call ANYONE else a thief ! Why don't you actually fight, real, actual crime? You know, where someone gets hurt ?

Homeland Security stole money from American citizens, who like to play a card game, and has now given some of it to you in recognition of the part you played in stealing the money. You shouldn't be taking pictures like that where you seem proud. You should be hiding from cameras.

Not to mention how this puts the U.S. further into violation of WTO rulings.

There is much else that could be said, but for this short internet message box I will leave it at that.

ill phil : do u really think I care ??? are you ill phil , pumpkin ? you are foolish for thinking that i really care........

Stoopid corrupt,ignorant thieving policefooooooooorce WTF:)))ARE U KIDDING STEALING FROM SMALL POKERPLAYERS ONLINE?So the ones that have paifd tax from earnings from poker is okey to steal from to buy cars and equipment for?Do you take candy from kids and wheelchairs from old disabled humans to and sell to buy equipment?YOU ARE A JOKE AND WHAT KIND OF A GOVERNMENT ALLOW THIS IN A "DEMOCRACY".My 2 cents to this discussion!

I think the fact that there are almost 90 comments on this all saying the same thing really says it all. Absolutely disgusted. What little faith I had left in our government just faded away this morning as I read this article.

$21K of that money is mine. It wasn't the poker site's money. It was MINE! I did nothing illegal, I don't even live in your state. In Idaho online poker is perfectly legal, so why the FUCK can you, a stupid ass county, take my money???

If I ever see one of your stupid ass police cars I'm going to burn the fucker to the ground.

As an American online poker player who pays full taxes on his winnings I'm pretty disgusted by this.

sickening. Why not use time and resources for *actual* crime

Bill Bob : Can you help me understand something..... How did u leave $21K online ? How come u did not cash out the 21K immediately ? I have never played online poker so I don't understand how it works

john thomas are you for real get a life and stay off this blog

make me stay off the blog pattone...

Steal our freedoms, steal our money... corrupt police, corrupt government. Who are the real crooks here?

Socialism is coming to the US very soon....

As someone who used to play online poker frequently (as an amateur to relax and have fun enjoying a game I love), I utterly can't believe that this is how you treat those that were contributing to the economy.

Oh, and by the way, the U.S. is being sued over the "Black Friday" seizures by several different countries for violation of the International Trade Laws set forth by the UN. I hope this Maryland police department doesn't spend it all in one place, because the money is going to go towards U.S. Gov't attorneys and legal fees to fight something WHERE THE U.S. KNOWS IT WAS WRONG IN DOING.

On top of all this, MANY U.S. land-based casinos were in on this shutdown of online poker thinking it would bring people to the casinos. NOPE! Wrong again! The traffic in live poker rooms has GONE DOWN since this travesty.

There's how many unsolved murders across America? How many unsolved kidnapping cases? How many unsolved robberies? But LAWRDY LAWRDY these "Dangerous Online Poker Players" are making money and paying taxes? WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!

Respectfully, the national, state, and local gov't should be ashamed of what it has become. Come out and say it like it is: The gov't is not effective at catching REAL criminals so they have to make it look like they are doing SOMETHING in those FBI, DOJ, etc. offices!

It's stories like these that make me disgraced to be an American. It's no wonder the rest of the world hates us now.

I dont understand. How can this guy hold that check up with a smile on his face? The $2000 I had on there is a lot of money to me. How can you steal money hard earned American citizen money and smile about it. makes me sick.

I hope theft crime in this county goes up 1000% and they don't catch a single person. And I hope all theft takes place at the county police stations.

This is beyond sick. It makes me embarrassed to be an American (thankfully, I'll be in Canada in 2 weeks to continue my living at poker and out of this humiliating country). I'm literally going to call their police station tomorrow and report a theft and proceed to describe this article to them, lol.

At John Thomas: Online poker sites go to great lengths to make sure your money is safe, this way they continue to make a profit. If player money wasn't safe then the site would eventually lose all its players and go bankrupt. If people were to spend $500 on a computer from bestbuy.com, and best buy decided to just steal the money and keep the computer, how long do u think it would be before people stopped shopping at best buy? These poker sites have a financial incentive to make sure your money is safe.

...as far as having tens of thousands of dollars online: If you are a skillful player u can acquire massive amounts of money at higher stakes games (some sites offer as high as $100,000 buyin games). You have to have tens of thousands of dollars (sometimes hundreds of thousands) to play these games. The benefit is that if you are a good enough player u can win hundreds or thousands of dollars and hour. Sound unbelievable? Yeah, I know it does, but it's true. I made over $100,000/year for the last 2 years and had a few friends who made more than $300,000/year for the last 3 years. They have to keep massive amounts of money online in order to win this much.

Nice little scam you pulled off here Anne Arundel County, steal the hard earned money of Poker playing Americans with the phony BS garbage about it having to do with "Homeland Security". Rip people off and then act all holier than thou about it like you are doing a great public service. That really takes some nerve. But hey well done.

Thanks for explaining Chris. I had no idea thats whats happening with online poker. does the IRS get involved with this ?

I think it might be pertinent to point out here that the player's $ was perfectly safe until the DOJ stepped in to freeze accounts which resulted in so many players losing/losing access to their online bankrolls.

Poker players like any independent professional are required to track and pay their taxes themselves...and considering that all online players winnings are recorded on the net there for the world to see we have far less incentive to attempt to bilk the IRS than most.

Define a "professional " ?

John Thomas's comments highlight what I believe to be one of the biggest hurdles professional poker players (and recreational now, as well) have to surmount...the false, outdated impression that most laypeople have about the poker community.

It isn't the Old West, it isn't happy go lucky Maverickland, it isn't a dark and insidious underworld populated by shady criminals. We don't gamble all our $ blindly on the roll of a die...most poker players are highly educated, responsible, disciplined people who have honed their craft into an art. An art which many carefully grind hour after tedious hour, employing mathematics, probability and statistics to achieve a profit...in truth it's usually something far less than exciting, or glamorous, because it's a skill and not a game of simple chance.

Most successful players are focused first and foremost on careful bankroll management, and yes, leaving large sums of $ deposited for that purpose is often a necessity for those that are professional players.

That definition is hotly in debate these days...the best I have come to fairly describing a professional player (I believe) is anyone who earns a significant portion of their income from playing poker.

Alassnsane : Where is the proof that most poker players are highly educated responsible players ? do u have statistics and facts to back that statement up ? I could never bring myself to leave thousands of dollars online but thats just me. I would take the money and run as soon as I got it....

poker not same you job so same good idea i think.
but...
y u need you proof. if they stupid okay then police steal man money.

what u like say "mr police office john thomas".

Of course you would, because you are not a pro poker player and don't understand the very topic you're pursuing...the fact that you are, again, repeating the same statement you made earlier after two people who Do understand this topic have attempted to explain it to you tends to make me begin to suspect you are trolling versus genuinely interested in intelligent discourse on this subject...however, I Will address your first question simply because I mistyped that statement...

It Should have read "Most successful poker players..."...and my 'proof' exists in their very success...as you can not achieve much in this world without those attributes...as for "highly educated"? I have no proof at hand to offer you, but were you to spend much time delving into the poker world you would see this for yourself...it isn't unusual to find yourself sandwiched between a Harvard and a MIT grad...there Are stats out there indicating that the online poker world is populated by young, upwardly mobile, well educated individuals should you feel moved to hunt them down, I don't at the moment.

If anyone in this thread is willing to be interviewed on the record for a follow-up story on this, please email me at timl@patch. I am particularly interested in talking to anyone in Maryland who has lost money as a result of the seizure of funds.

Any politician who supports this disgusting action will not get my vote.

well said chaing

john thomas I think that you are really one of the guys in the picture holding the check

I spoke with Tim today in regards to a follow up story. Hope that it comes across well.

Im from California, and I agree with how disgusting these actions are. I want to see the data, backing all of this. These guys, flaunting there big check, I hope they fail in anything they attempt to do, and that's why all of their budgets will be the first to go, peace. All we need police for is to remove the killers, thieves, (oh wait we would have to remove them then, darn!) rapists, violent criminals, and child molesters. It my money and ill do what I want with it, that's how I feel. So long as Taxes are paid, anything left over, I darn well will do as I please with it.

This is absolute straight up theft from your citizens. Disgusting.

How is this 'justice'??? It's blatant theft!

Instant karma's gonna get you, oh god I hope so.