The Liberty Papers

The government, in it’s quest to control your life, is holding up people’s deposits with Neteller as “evidence”…

Neteller says U.S. authorities have frozen access to about $55 million in U.S.-based accounts.

“As a result of the restrictions placed by third parties, court-ordered seizures, and related legal concerns, (Neteller) is unable to make payments to U.S. customers,” says a posting on the company’s website.

FBI agent Neil Donovan has said funds are being held in court as potential evidence. He did not provide a timetable on when customers may get their money back.

Though money-transfer companies such as Neteller do business with financial institutions and merchants, many also allow gambling companies to transfer money collected from U.S. gamblers to bank accounts outside the USA. Neteller last month closed its U.S. Internet gambling services, erasing about two-thirds of its business.

So let me get this straight. Gambling is legal, and often in states which don’t allow casinos, through lotteries and horse racing and even being able to play live roulette (and other games). The internet is legal, and accessing web sites all over the world is legal. Transferring money online is legal, and is the basis for all of eBay. Yet you put the three together, and you’re guilty of a moral crime and the government will seize your assets. If gambling is legal where you are, doing a quick search into something simple like casinoeuro could allow you to try your hand at playing online casino games. But if it is not legal where you live, it is not worth breaking the law over. Maybe in time, playing Casino games online in a state where gambling is legal will hopefully be worth it.

Just how does this make sense again? Neteller has stopped accepting gambling payments from US customers, so why would it make sense that Americans can’t withdraw the money that they currently can’t deposit into online gambling sites through Neteller anyway?

PS – I would point out that the restrictions haven’t stopped Americans from gambling online, particularly as it is incredibly easy to find an online casino or from transferring money to and from online casinos. As predicted, it has just moved the business from the “trusted” providers like Neteller to providers who are operating illegally and thus with many fees.