In May 2010, I wrote a WSOP preview piece for ESPN in which I mentioned rumors that the DOJ might make arrests at WSOP. I mostly got two reactions:

1) Even mentioning that is bad for poker! (give me a break)

2) It’s unlikely to happen unless the DOJ is incredibly confident they’ll get indictments.

With that second reaction in mind, that this is happening now speaks badly for future prospects of the seized sites in the US, at least to my mind. Whatever loopholes Stars and FTP have been operating under the assumption they’re safe in, I’d bet the DoJ is ready for them after five years of prep work. That’s my first reaction to the news of the site seizures of PokerStars, FTP and UB.

My second is this: As dominant as those figures are in the poker world and as bleak as this moment might look, poker will go on. It will be reshaped, it will look incredibly different should everything that could come to pass actually come to pass, but it’ll go on. I kind of feel like Kevin Bacon in Animal House, saying “all is well!” with that thought, but yeah, that’s where my head is at.

Here’s a link to the DOJ’s press release.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/index.html

source: http://jgarywise.com/