Poker Companies Start Refunding

There continues to be confusion about the raid on three of the largest poker companies on the internet. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker at first had their domain names seized, but they came to an agreement with government authorities that included staying out of the U.S. market, and facilitating the refund of money to existing players, in order to get those domains back. Absolute Poker is the third company in that group, and according to the Department of Justice, that same offer is open to them.

At last report, those refunds were already taking place or were in the process of taking place.

These agreements make a lot more sense for those two, because of the fact that they have cultivated a sizable amount of business outside of the United States. The same can not be said for Absolute Poker, which was primarily U.S.-facing. That company’s plans are a little more uncertain, since, for all intents and purposes, it has lost all its business. So the choices are between playing players and starting from square one, moving the business model to something more international, or folding, leaving everyone in the cold.