Online Gambling Bank Account Seizure Cases Grow
Two more bank accounts tied to online gambling payments have been seized by the US government. According to reports by the Baltimore City Paper, $365,000 in two accounts owned by Atrium Financial Group was taken under warrant as payments to online gambling patrons.
The warrant in the latest case differs from the other series of seizure warrants in that it was not sealed from public view. The reading of the affidavit shows that the deliberate intent of the federal government is to disrupt and prevent payment to US residents who are owed money by Internet casinos.
Once again, an official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement swore out the affidavit. The warrant was issued by US District Judge Beth Gesner.
The statement indicates that bank accounts are being located by undercover officers asking for payouts from online gambling sites. In the Atrium case, an officer from the Louisiana State Police had opened a gambling account with online casino Golden Casino, then requested payment.
In previous reporting by the City Paper, it was found that Golden Casino had turned down a multitude of attempts by Louisiana undercover police to sign new accounts, as Louisiana has a law against online gambling, and Golden Casino is a reputable, well-established company that respects local law. But police deluged the gaming site with applications until one slipped by protective software.
The payments were made through Atrium accounts, confirming that Atrium was one of the companies used by Golden Casino to honor their debts to US residents. In order to prevent those payments and make the case that online gambling is dangerous to consumers a self-fulfilling prophecy, authorities seized the account, allowing deposits to continue but debits ordered cancelled.
