What changes in the online gambling industry after Neteller | IXGAMES
Effective immediately, Neteller plc US members are no longer able to transfer funds to or from any online gambling sites. The announcement came Wednesday, 2 days after the arrest by US authorities of the founders of the e-wallet solution. However All Neteller plc US members will continue to be able to use their NETELLER e-wallet account to safely transfer funds to and from non-gambling merchants and are not required to close their account or withdraw their funds. Neteller founders, Stephen Eric Lawrence and John David Lefebvre were arrested Monday, January 15 in the United States. Both men have been charged with U.S.C. 1955, prohibition of illegal gambling businesses; U.S.C. 1956, the laundering of monetary instruments; the 1961 Wire Act, the transmission of wagering information. Interestingly enough the U.S. IRS, and the U.S. government could also be charged with U.S.C. 1956, the laundering of monetary instruments. The IRS allows illegal bookmakers to file their tax return imposing a 2% flat tax on the bookmakers handle (business volume) and guarantees that no information will be disclosed to other government agencies. However chances that a U.S. D.A. will file money laundering charges against the IRS remains remote, despite the U.S. government being direct and knowingly beneficiary of tax funds deriving from so-called illegal activities. Unjustified panic spread through the entire gambling industry and gamblers alike Wednesday. The United States government (Land of Freedom 🙂 ) is not going after gamblers. All most recent cases, from BETonSPORTS to Sportingbet to Neteller and other minor busts have been solely focused on operators. At the same time the temporary exit from the market of Neteller and Citadel Commerce will unlikely represent a major set back for gambling operators. The industry existed and prospered before Neteller and Citadel even existed and will continue to prosper well after they are gone. However gamblers should be more careful then ever before when choosing a sports book operator. There are a number of operators that have built a reputation throughout the years, like Bodog or Nine who continue to provide gamblers a safe and enjoyable wagering environment and a variety of deposit and withdrawal options.