Welcome to PokerSiteShutdown.com – A comprehensive guide for US poker players about the state of and changes to the online poker industry. Find out what has happened to poker sites that have been targeted by the US Government and have been forced to shutdown to US players. Plus recommendations from experienced industry experts on where it is safe for US players to play online poker now!
The US Government’s actions have had a varying affect on pokers with some completely being shutdown such as Full Tilt Poker, while others like Poker Stars no longer accept US poker players but are in an on-going legal battle. For those US poker players who had an account at Full Tilt Poker, many are still waiting to withdraw their funds.
Along with the latest news about poker sites shutting down and recent poker news, our experience and extensive research enable us to recommend the safest options for poker players. Here are the current top rated poker sites:
TOP US POKER SITES:
 Lock Poker |  YES |  |  |
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 Carbon Poker | YES |  | |
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 Intertops Poker | YES | | |
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 Party Poker | NO | | |
Major Poker Sites That Were Shutdown
Below are brief overviews of what happened to the largest poker sites that have been shutdown by the US Government and how US poker players have been affected. Follow the links under each synopsis for more details and poker news.
BODOG.com
How was Bodog.com Shutdown: Initially Bodog decided to move away from domain due to other indictments, eventually deciding on complete re-branding with Bovada.lv. However on February 28th, 2012 US DOJ indicted Bodog and shutdown bodog.com.
Current Status:Bodog.com displays the US DOJ “seized” splash page. However the sites with which players can gamble at: Bovada.lv, Bodog.ca, Bodog.co.uk are still operational.
Details:Bodog most likely suspected something was in the works with the US DOJ as they moved away from the domain after Black Friday. To further distance themselves BodogBrand ended their domain licensing deal with the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (who operated bodog.com for US players) and the bodog branded essentially left the US market and was replaced by Bovada.lv. Whether the indictment will have any impact on Bodog’s worldwide operations and Bovada in the US is remain to be seen.
Details on Bodog.com being shutdown
FULL TILT POKER
How Full Tilt was shutdown: Indicted by US DOJ on April 15th, 2011
Current Status: Shutdown to players worldwide
Details: The Full Tilt situation has been the most complicated thus far, and the state of affairs has left the poker world in shock. Full Tilt was once the second largest poker room, but the US Indictment exposed poor business practices and a company in debt to players. Currently the Bernard Tapie Groupe is in the process of buying the trouble company but has yet to be finalized.
Details and the latest news about Full Tilt.
POKERSTARS:
How Pokerstars was shutdown: Indicted by the US DOJ on April 15th, 2011
Current Status: Shutdown to US players. All funds have been paid back. Still largest poker site in the world
Details: Pokerstars was indicted by the US DOJ along with Full Tilt, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet in the first round of indictments. However unlike Full Tilt, they have seemed to come out of the situation as best as one could expect. Although no longer accepting US poker players, Pokerstars continues to be far and away the largest poker site on the internet, with peak period nearly 5 times their nearest competitor.
Details and the latest on Poker Stars.
Aboslute Poker:
How was Absolute Poker Shutdown: Indicted by US DOJ on April 15th, 2011
Current Status: Shutdown to all players worldwide
Details: Absolute Poker was part of the Cereus poker network that was included in the indictments along with Poker Stars and Full Tilt poker, however they did not receive as much media coverage. Absolute attempted to stay open to Non-US and US poker players for a short period of time after the indictments; however it became evident the majority of their traffic was US which was becoming increasing difficult to service. With the US poker players, the liquidity was practically non-existent and they eventually shutdown to all players.
UB.com Poker:
How was UB.com Poker Shutdown: Indicted by US DOJ on April 15th, 2011
Current Status: Shutdown to all players worldwide, including US players
Details: UB.com poker, along with Absolute poker made up the Cereus Poker network and as such they suffered the exact same fate. UB.com attempted to stay open to US and non-US poker players for a short period of time after the indictments, however after liquidity dropped and they quickly could not process payments (most likely due to the fact that they were indicted) cash flow became an issue and UB Poker shutdown.
DOYLESROOM:
How Doylesroom was shutdown: Indicted by US DOJ on May 23rd, 2011
Current Status: Acquired by AmericasCardroom.eu – open to US players
Details: Doylesroom.com followed a different path than that of Pokerstars and Full Tilt in that they ignored the US DOJ Indictment, choosing to move to a new domain. Originally they used doylesroom.net and then doylesroom.ag until they were eventually acquired by AmericasCardroom.eu. Doyle Brunson no longer has any association with the poker site and they quietly go about business, albeit with an indictment hanging over their head.
Details and the latest news on Doyles Room
Effect on US Poker Players
It seemed like only yesterday that online poker was booming for US poker players. The popularity of poker had even spread to the main stream audience with late night television was filled with poker shows that showcased some of the biggest names in online poker. There were entire apartment complexes in Las Vegas that were known for where “professional” poker players lived and played online during the day and night. The good us poker players were making hundreds if not millions of dollars per year online while many more were earning a very comfortable living but blew that on a high priced lifestyle that wasn’t too last long. Playing poker for American players has drastically changed and with many having to find “real jobs” while others have moved to other countries where they can play on the big sites like Poker Stars and Party Poker.
For the regular Joe US poker player who used to play online some evenings and weekends – but didn’t make a lifestyle of it, the changes have also been quite dramatic. The biggest change has been the ability to transfer funds to and from poker rooms that accept US players. With the UIGEA targeting the banks and payments processing and some of the charges laid on Black Friday being against the payment processors, it has become riskier to do business for the processors. This has resulted in many challenges for those poker rooms that are left accepting US players. There are more hoops to jump through and accounts getting seized are a reality for these companies. However, it appears that there are still quality poker rooms left servicing USA poker players and some safe options to choose.
Future of US Poker
The million (or possibly billion) dollar question that so many US poker players are asking; “what does the future hold?” There has been much speculation and a lot of poker experts have weighed into the mix with their predictions. However no one has the magic crystal ball and when dealing with governments and special interest groups it can be hard to predict what will happen (no one ever predicted the UIGEA passing). With that said, the best guesses right now about the future of Poker in the USA is that regulation will probably happen, but it will be state by state that could involve a long and frustrating process. The biggest challenge is that each state has it’s own priorities and agenda, whether that be the big Casinos (Nevada, New Jersey) or tribal groups (California) or other lobbyists (every state) someone will be trying to influence the future of online poker in the United States. As it currently stands, it appears that the Government is not out to get the US poker players, but rather the big companies. And for that reason we feel that US poker players can breath a little easier.
