I think it s pretty clear that you did actually play from the US , the way you said everything, you re just trying to play the innocent card because they cant actually prove what you did.
I got lifetime banned for something they couldn't prove too , but they did let me cash out my balance first.. This is what i find a bit ****ed up. This is what everyone should be focusing on really.

Jake said he had a 100k live score that was deposited into stars ,and then they seized those funds. That s just wrong. I mean if it turns out he just played like a few MTTs from the US through VPN for like 5k , and maybe won 10k let s say ... does that give them the right to seize the whole 250k? hell ****ing no.

you should be punished but this is way too harsh.

PokerStars accused me of the same thing once (well, Full Tilt did, same thing). I had to provide a couple dozen local receipts, bank and CC statements, passport, stand outside in front of my street sign with said passport and the current daily newspaper... but eventually they released my funds because... I was where I was supposed to be.

My situation wasn't quite the same as yours, and I did have to provide a detailed explanation of why they detected "errant activity" but in the end, the truth is the truth and they WILL return your funds if you're innocent (I had a large 5 figure balance at the time).

Note: The process took about 3 weeks to clear up.


--
Kahn

Are you sure? I have seen warnings issued from pokerstars that if they catch anyone on vpn or playing from the usa they will confiscate funds. Happened to a few people one who was playing from Las Vegas . They confiscated and where going to donate to a gambling charity. He only played a couple of sit and goes so they returned the funds. Pokerstars is very vigilant about keeping people from the united states off its site. Not worth the risk either way.

Big chunk for op to get confiscated have never seen an amount this high. Previous high I saw confiscated and then released with ban was a husband and wife duo for 100 plus k. 250k is a huge amount gl op.

Sounds like he did in fact play in the US. He also probably played in EPT events and use those receipts to try to prove that he was outside the US during those times but what about the times between the EPT events. Also would be curious about his 100k score at an EPT event. Did he win a satellite to the event or did he buyin with his own money.

If you broke the rules then you have to accept the punishment.

That sucks op

There are tons of of other regs in the US that are VPNing, but you are the one that gets punished. I'm sure stars is aware of this too but they would rather turn a blind eye to it. Not sure why they are calling you out over anyone else. Hope stars makes things right and gives you your money back

what happens with the 250K$?

You claim to have not broken their TOS. I disagree:

5.11PokerStars prohibits persons located in (including temporary visitors) or residents of certain jurisdictions (including jurisdictions were persons are required to play according to the regulations in such jurisdiction, using the appropriately designated, licensed game) clients from making deposits into their accounts or engage in RM Games (the “Prohibited Jurisdictions”). For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing restrictions on engaging in real-money play from Prohibited Jurisdictions applies equally to residents and citizens of other nations while located in a Prohibited Jurisdiction.
Any attempt to circumvent the restrictions on play by any persons located in a Prohibited Jurisdiction, is a breach of this Agreement. An attempt at circumvention includes, but is not limited to, manipulating the information used by PokerStars to identify your location and providing PokerStars with false or misleading information regarding your location or place of residence. Any such attempt will entitle us to take such steps as we deem appropriate including, without limitation, seizing the funds in your User account.

The $100k from an EPT score. Was that from PCA in Jan or Barcelona in August?

Gambling charity donation. Wonder what that entails or what is considered a gambling charity. Know they where going to do that to another poster that was caught playing from usa.

Pretty sure pokerstars is letting people play that are using vpn, once the make a big score. ZAPPPOOOO!!!!!

lol wtf? So since other people havent been caught, he doesn't deserve the punishment? That's alot of bull****. So a murderer shouldnt be punished for his crime because there are other murderers that havent been caught?

Agreed. Feel free to give him his initial deposit back, but all profits should be forfeited, including the live win if the entry was at all related to Stars funds/FPP's. It blows my mind how people think anything less is appropriate.

At the very least he should be returned the 100k from his Live score as this money was likely forced on to his Pstars account due to an insufficient amount of cash on hand. Also no one can make the claim that this 100k live score has anything to do with online poker being played from the US.

At a normal and neutral civil court, the claimant(PokerStars) has to deliver evidence and not "he used a remote computer = evidence he was in the U.S."

The procedure might be different on gambling isles of fraud, but this is the way how it usually works.

Considering the amount of $250k and considering the relatively low court costs, I would definitely file a claim at the court of justice.

Showers

You got caught. Man up, wipe the tears away and move on. You thought you were above the law and everyone else. You aren't. Lesson learned

The OP is a little ambiguous. It's possible the live deposits don't include a single 100k Euro deposit, and they could amount to significantly less.

"...this includes deposits from live EPT scores including a cash of 100k Euro"

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The problem for me is the somewhat arbitrary punishment of whatever is in someone's account at the time. (At one point in the past I believe some people have had whatever profits they were deemed to have made from playing within the US confiscated- although this may not be enough of a deterrent of course as it's a bit of a no-lose gamble for would-be VPN'ers.) Perhaps this is now outside of Stars' hands though if the agreement they have with the DoJ is simply to confiscate the full balance of an account.

lolllllll clearly should not have posted this situation on 2p2.. expected people were mostly capable of being logical adults.

However if he won his seat from an online satellite we could, right? An online satellite that he shouldn't have been playing in the first place.

I'm sorry if it appears I have a guilty until proven innocent attitude, however OP has been extremely vague and unwilling to provide any proof that he was indeed playing outside the US.

I guess if people don't agree with your point of view, that means that they are illogical. Did you or did you not violate terms of service clause 5.11 by manipulating the location information being sent to pokerstars?

I'm glad your money was seized. Just because you sound like a dick.

that's a bit dick'ish too

Of all the posts in this thread, that's the one you chose to respond to?

I was expecting that if you returned, one of these deserved a response:

Or is your lack of response all the answer we need?

Cliffs:

"My plan while in the U.S. to remote into a computer that was located outside the U.S. to play poker has backfired but I shouldn't be punished because I'm sure tons of people are also doing it too."

Does that about sum it up?

Nice score OP..

https://youtu.be/IQWtG7dSIPg

the word you're looking for is empathy, not logic.