PKR Poker Shut Down For “Financial” Reasons By Earl Burton - May 8th, 2017 Once again demonstrating the need in the States of America for regulated online gaming and poker if not in the. Lock Poker shut down owing anywhere from $15 to $24 million to players. Many of the former Lock Poker pros are still being ostracized for their past association, including former WSOP-E Main Event Champion Annette Obrestad. Portugal Poker Prodigy “Girah” Admits to Cheating.

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For every legal, well-run poker site there are a hundred UltimateBets or GoalPokers – rooms that came, saw, and did not exactly conquer. Some did their best to combat UIGEA, Black Friday, the police, falling player pools or managing to pay their players on time, or at all - but ultimately they all went the way of the Dodo (although one or two pulled off a Frankenstein and got resurrected from the dead).

And if you thought Ben Affleck's villainous poker site owner in Runner Runner was a fictional character, take a look at some of the characters in this list. Sometimes the truth really can be stranger than fiction.

We look at the defunct sites that graced and disgraced the online poker world in a handy A-Z format, allowing you to review the coroner's reports on what caused them to die.

Absolute Poker

DIED: 2011

CAUSE OF DEATH: Black Friday

CORONER'S REPORT: Originally part of the Cereus network, Absolute Poker was one of the world's ten largest online poker rooms prior to losing the majority of its player base after the Black Friday raids. Valued at $30 million in 2005, it underwent the infamous ‘POTRIPPER' scandal of 2007, when CEO Scott Tom was discovered to be playing the site under ‘God Mode' and spying on other players' hole cards. Absolute was fined $500,000 for that little indiscretion, but the site continued. After Black Friday, the site stopped taking American business, and players are still waiting for their funds back.

AWHPoker

DIED: 2011

CAUSE OF DEATH: Acquired by PokerNordica

CORONER'S REPORT: AWHPoker did pretty well for a skin on the troubled Merge network, lasting all of three years before being bought out. Rumours abound that the original site was infecting players' machines with viruses, but we're not sure if that was just online ballers bitching.

BetOnSports

DIED: 2006

CAUSE OF DEATH: UIGEA

CORONER'S REPORT: Founded in 1995 in the UK, BetOnSports was one of the biggest players in the United States online gaming market until 2006 when US authorities indicted the company and a number of its executives on tax evasion charges and other misdemeanours arising from its supplying online betting to American gamblers. CEO David Carruthers was sentenced in 2010 to 33 months in prison. Victims did get a bit of their money back, albeit four years after the site closed.

Big Bet

DIED: 2004 & 2011

CAUSE OF DEATH: No players

CORONER'S REPORT: The poker paramedics had a field day with this site which originally closed in 2004 following a few failed promotions. It re-launched in 2008 after being given a shot of adrenaline and joined the Microgaming network. In order to accept US customers, it moved to the troubled Merge network in 2009, but eventually shut in 2011, paying out all existing players.

Bugsy's Club

DIED: 2009

CAUSE OF DEATH: UIGEA

CORONER'S REPORT: : A relatively popular poker site pre-UIGEA, the site went the way of its namesake, Bugsy Siegel, and died in 2009 amid a hail of legal bullets. PokerStars opened their arms to accept Bugsy's existing players and honoured their bankrolls.

Card Spike

DIED: 2009

CAUSE OF DEATH: UIGEA

CORONER'S REPORT: Another victim of those nasty bullies in Congress, CardSpike closed its operations in 2009. Players were allowed to withdraw their cash but had to pay a $40 fee on any withdrawal under $50. Capitalism in action right there, folks.

Chico Poker Network

DIED: Still breathing - just

CAUSE OF DEATH: Black Friday (in a coma)

CORONER'S REPORT: Previously known as the Action Poker Network, Chico fell afoul of the fallout from Black Friday and found itself unable, or unwilling, to pay out to its players. Players on CPN skins like ActionPoker, Paynorake and PokerInCanada received emails apologizing for the 'prolonged and unfortunate delay' in reuniting them with their account balances, and promised to process new payout requests 'without delay' beginning July 1, 2013. However, the company, which cited, among other things, 'regulatory issues, banking issues' and curiously, 'player bonus fraud' among its reasons for non-payment, is still to pay back allegedly over $1 million.

Doyles Room

DIED: 2011

CAUSE OF DEATH: Black Friday

CORONER'S REPORT: Founded in 2004 under the stewardship of poker legend, Doyle Brunson, Doyles Room always remained a tiny poker site despite its iconic front man and the formidable 'Brunson 10' group of sponsored online pros he helped form (which included Chris Moorman and Alex Torelli).

However, the operation was seized as part of the Black Friday raids of 2011 and bought up by Americas Cardroom later that year. As for Brunson, he cut all ties with the site following the FBI raids. Americas Cardroom continues to operate, with leading US pro Dusty Schmidt leading the way.

Empire Poker

DIED: 2006

CAUSE OF DEATH: Sold to PartyPoker

CORONER'S REPORT: After some fights with its big brother, PartyPoker, the skin was sold to the poker giant in 2006.

Everleaf

DIED: 2012

CAUSE OF DEATH: UIGEA

CORONER'S REPORT: Everleaf closed its doors to players from the USA, France and Malta in 2012 after a long campaign from the US authorities to have the network shut down. Players outside the US still experienced problems with payouts, and Minted Poker recently left the network, warning players that Everleaf was unable to pay them or their players. In 2013, the Malta gaming authority, LGA, finally booted the network out of its jurisdiction.

Feltstars

DIED: 2012

CAUSE OF DEATH: Financial issues

CORONER'S REPORT: Despite sounding a lot like 'PokerStars', this site was well and truly sent to the felt in 2012 when it shut its doors to all players. Player funds were segregated, so there were no Full Tilt-like problems with the Merge network skin, but the site had only signed up sponsored pros like Gillian Epp and Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott months before closing.

GoalPoker

DIED: 2006

CAUSE OF DEATH: Financial issues / payouts

CORONER'S REPORT: Set up by two British city boys, you can't argue that GoalPoker didn't go out with a bang. GoalPoker infamously held the party to end all parties in Ibiza for its online players during the 2006 World Cup. However, it then emailed players to say it would be unable to honour WSOP packages won for that summer's festival. Perhaps it was just a few cocktails too many on those golden Ibiza beaches. The site closed following even more complaints of non-payouts to players.

JETSET POKER

DIED: 2006

CAUSE OF DEATH: Tax / UIGEA / Payouts

CORONER'S REPORT: Formed in 2003, JetSet enjoyed US customers (and even operated within the US) until first its software provider went bankrupt, and then the bombshell of UIGEA hit in 2006. Players were given five minutes' notice that the site was closing, and many didn't get paid. Some players lost thousands of dollars, and it was alleged that some $100,000 of payouts remain unpaid. Oh, and they also owed money to the IRS. Anything else?

KSpoker

DIED: 2010

CAUSE OF DEATH: Lack of players

CORONER'S REPORT: Part of the Boss Media network, King Solomons Poker shut its doors in early 2010 with players able to access their funds.

Lock Poker

DIED: 2015

CAUSE OF DEATH: Black Friday and owner overspending

CORONER'S REPORT: Originally one of the largest US poker rooms, Lock Poker had its own gaming network before it collapsed around 2015. Black Friday, together with slower and slower payouts and an owner that spent the company’s cash on five-star hotels and first-class flights seem to have been the main reasons for Lock Poker’s demise. In its last year its software remained up but

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