ePassporte, the e-wallet that became the preferred method for US poker players to deposit into online poker rooms, has announced to online poker sites that they will no longer be processing payments between US consumers and online poker rooms.
ePassporte has not yet made a public statement, but the online poker sites have revealed that this move occurred in response to mounting pressure from the US government. In their announcement to online poker rooms ePassporte said that “a widespread investigation of internet gambling, including poker, by the United State’s Attorney’s Office for the District of Southern New York” was the cause for their withdrawal of services.
This is not the first time that particular jurisdiction has interfered with payments to online poker sites, as they also played a major role in a case against the founders of Neteller, which was the most popular payment method for US poker players before Neteller was forced to withdraw from the market.
ePassporte believed that they would be free from legal action by only processing payments to online poker rooms, but their belief appears to be mistaken in light of the threats made by the US government. Customers are still able to withdraw any money they have from ePassporte.