Online poker funds wont be released.

[bartongrl1]

There had been around $13M seized by federal investigatgors, and it looks as though thousands of players will not be getting their money.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller in San Diego denied a bid Thursday by lawyers for the company, Account Services Inc., and the Poker Players Alliance to return the money. The players group is an advocacy organization that represents some 1 million online poker players.

It is said that Judge Millers ruling dealt with a specific legal area, the question still remains of whether online poker is illegal under federal law.

It has also been stated that it may be years before players see any money at all.

The controversy began in June, when prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan seized funds in bank accounts for Account Services at Wells Fargo and Union Bank. The precise reasons for the seizure remain in an affidavit under seal.

One has to wonder why the reasons for the seizure is in an affidavit under seal. Why cant the reasons be made public?

Even though some states differentiate between games in as much as poker is considered a game of skill, the funds were seized under the federal Illegal Gambling Act.

There is quite a bit of controversy surrounding this seizure, and the outcome will be closely monitored.