If I understand correctly, you're asking if you use a VPN which is based in the US, if this would be a problem? It won't, because if you are on a US-based network, then play will be blocked.

From my last post:

In your situation: get a local VPN. Don't play until you can get on a wired connection. Whatever. Just don't ever connect through anything US related without thinking about it to PS and hope it'll be alright.

thought it was common knowledge that pokerclients were metaspywares

Is this correct? If so why are Stars using rules that aren't on the UK terms of service to suspend uk players' accounts?

Makes you look a bit ridiculous seeing how serious you are about this issue...

Finally can you confirm you do not use your software to snoop into what I am doing on my computer whilst playing at stars?

As I understand - whilst alarming - almost 100% of our online activity (footprint if you will) is heavily tracked and logged. Even if it isnt strictly observed first hand by someone at the controls of a company that you interact with it is most certainly existent somewhere on the net and can be pulled up by those with the power to do so.

Whether this is information is used for improvement of our experience or to improve the safety and legality of the environment (like in this case) is widely debated and you will find many documentaries that illustrate both ends of the spectrum (corporations and domains etc. using info via digital 'snooping' for good or for bad).

http://www.wired.com/ has proved a great resource for me in absorbing many security threat articles that are very relevant to this issue.

I know about internet security and anonymity. I am concerned that pokerstars is snooping at my computer usage against my knowledge when I have the pokerstars client open. I am also concerned that they are using parts of their terms of service not available to UK players to suspend UK players accounts.

This is a company that is indicted for bank fraud etc in the US after all, even if they have paid players out and their crime is (in poker players eyes at least) victimless. They need to be straight up.

They are snitching these players out to the DOJ, that is the only way they would ever know. 'Look we caught some US players what do you want us to do with them? See we are not so bad after all...'

I dont think this is true...Technically, they are just logging the IP address
where you are logging in from...So what happens with a VPN is you log
in from your computer (US IP), then it tunnels connection thru VPN's IP address
(foreign IP) to Stars server.... Then what happens is the VPN server goes down
from time to time (exactly like your cable/DSL internet goes down from time to time),
then guess what??? Your exposed IP gets logged by pokerstars..

So getting caught with a VPN has nothing to do with them spying on your apps running.

Hopefully this is true. Seem to recall ft (and I would assume other sites can/could) using some technology or other that could view what processes you were running on your computer. Interested to know if stars are doing this.

Did anyone consider they are asking the DOJ what to do with funds, to help
gain some sort of legal insight on the DOJ's stance?

In other words, if the DOJ comes back and clearly says, "give back the funds to
the players as we believe they havent broke any laws"...Then pokerstars can
flaunt this, or perhaps could even be used in court somewhere down the road.

So the US players are basically pawns for PokerStars own self serving purposes.

You guys do realize that if they let this slide US players would quite easily get to stay in the US and play, right?

The most current PokerStars Terms of Service is available on our website here:

www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/tos/

We provide localised versions (typically in languages other than English) for people across the world, including at PokerStars.co.uk. Those translations may sometimes lag behind the version that is hosted online at pokerstars.com.

There was an oversight in updating the text on the PokerStars.co.uk website, and it will be corrected shortly.

In addition to the Terms of Service, PokerStars displays a warning message to players who access PokerStars services from an IP address that we believe to be in the United States, and to players who have a registered address in the United States.

This warning reads as follows:



The links in that warning message link to these websites:
http://www.pokerstars.com/usaplayers/faq/

and

http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/tos/

Further, we then prevent real money activity on accounts that are logged in from a United States IP address.

PokerStars believes that we have taken appropriate action here.

We address this at some length on our website here: http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/prohibited/

Particularly:
If you have further queries, please email support@pokerstars.com

Thanks for the information regarding what you look at on my computer.

Regarding the other issue, I do not think you should suspend a UK players account if you haven't got your terms and conditions sorted out. It should not be the responsibility of a UK player to have to trawl through various pokerstars sites to find the most comprehensive tos.
When did you suspend the above players' account? For something he did 4 months ago? And you are now only updating the UK tos. Not good enough really.

Thanks for the very thorough reply though. And of course I understand Pokerstars contacting the US DoJ regarding US players given the sensitivity of the situation, even if poker players bridle at this given they have broken no law.

I hope you appreciate the irony is pleading localised translation error for the discrepancy on the UK version..

The popup doesn't appear when you auto-relog on from a momentary disconnection fyi. I never actually saw the popup. If I had I wouldn't have been so surprised for this to become an issue four months later!

I'm not trying or expecting to get my account reinstated on some kind of technicality. I'm confident that Stars and the independent monitor will see reason and not perma ban or confiscate funds in the majority of these cases.

so no more watching hulu mefeedia and tv.com while playing poker?
sigh

Sorry for jumping on your particular situation...

From PS ToS:
5.7. You agree that PokerStars may take steps to detect and prevent the use of prohibited EPA Programs. These steps may include, but are not limited to, examination of software programs running concurrently with the PokerStars Software on the User's computer. You agree that you will not attempt to bypass, interfere with, or block such steps, including, without limitation, the use of third party software that bypasses, interferes with, or blocks such steps.

Basicaly every poker client out there is actualy spywere, so yeah PS and pretty much all other poker sites are legally spying on everyone.Dedicated poker playing computers look better and better.

@PSMichaelJ: I'm a verified Italian player. Sometime ago, I asked PokerStars.it support if it was a problem if I played when I vacationed and traveled through Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France. I was advised that that was not a problem. Is that still true today?

This.

I created an account on the ipoker skin a while ago then went to create another account on the same skin on a different internet connection. But the poker site had put certain cookies with their software onto my computer that only allowed me to create one account per computer.

Hi,

I understand that it would be a breach of TwoPlusTwo's rules to turn this into a defacto PokerStars support forum.

Consequently, for queries about your personal situation, it would be best for you to email support@pokerstars.com so that one of my colleagues is able to reply in greater detail.

What a joke, Usa... Land of the free pfft...

If they need to close it, fine, but I think you guys answering questions publicly will be a lot more helpful than in private email so that the same questions don't need to be asked over and over and answers to popular questions can be there for everyone to see.

yeah, but the answers to these questions may change over time - you'll be wanting answers pertinent to the time when you ask them - stars wouldn't want a wise ass poker player claiming they did this or that cause they saw some 4 year old thread about it.

Use support, that's what they are there for??

As using a VPN to play in the US as a non-US resident and as a citizen of another country is a breach of PS terms and conditions but does not contravene any US law I believe the question of what should happen to funds in non-US accounts caught playing on a US IP address should be regulated by the licence authority and not by a moderator appointed by the Department of Justice. I do not see why the US DoJ should have any authority over such decisions.

It is in breach of their agreement though so I don't really see it's a regulation issue. Pokerstars have to show compliance which is exactly why people like me have been suspended. I don't like it, but I don't think they're doing anything wrong. That said, I think a permanent ban would be extremely unfair and any confiscation of funds would be grossly unjust. I know other people affected by this and I think at worst we were guilty of being careless and naive.