The list of 200 internet gambling sites that have been targeted by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has been released. Many of the websites identified do not currently accept players from the United States, which seems to be a very random list and industry insiders are at a loss to the strategy planned.
Headlining the list of targeted sites is Party Casino, which is owned by the same publicly traded parent company as its online poker room counterpart, Party Poker. Neither accepts U.S. players and to complicate matters further, Party Gaming, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice admitting to Wire Act violations similar to one struck by company co-founder Anurag Dikshit in December. Party Poker is not on the list. Also appearing is PokerRoom and sister site CasinoRoom which recently closed and now directs players to to bwin and bwin poker.
Bodog appears on the list as “BoDog.com,” but the corresponding URL points to its casino arm. Bodog accepts players from the United States, as does Full Tilt Poker, whose domain is officially under fire by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Cake Poker Network site Players Only also is part of the group of 200 affected sites. Notably absent are PokerStars, Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker, Lock Poker, Carbon Poker, Doyle’s Room, and Cake Poker. No informational or forum sites appear to be targeted at the moment. The list seems to be targets gambing genres such as online poker, online casinos, and online sports books.
The Action Poker Network’s flagship site appears on the list, as does Titan Poker, one of the largest sites on the massive iPoker Network. Neither site accepts U.S. players. Fellow iPoker Network site Betfred’s future may now be in jeopardy, as is the longevity of Microgaming site Betway. iPoker Network sites CD Poker, Mansion Poker, and Noble Poker all appear on the list of 200 sites. One of the most visible rooms to find itself in hot water is Everest Poker, which is the official sponsor of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which starts in June from the Rio in Las Vegas. This is Everest Poker’s second year as the spectacle’s presenting sponsor. Its logo will don WSOP felts and also appear in signage at the Rio.
Other websites that have been flagged by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety include Gnuf, Golden Palace, Hollywood Poker, and InterTops Casino, which actually appears twice on the list. Publicly traded company Ladbrokes’ online poker site, despite not accepting U.S. players, is on the list, as are PokerRoom School, River Belle, and Spin Palace. Crazy Poker’s dot com and U.K. domain names are both listed. According to Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division Director John Willems, the list of 200 sites was drawn "randomly" without regard to the type of internet gambling employed.
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