Poker Stars is one of the three online poker websites that was indicted on Black Friday at which Canadians and Americans can still play. However, recent news that some of Poker Stars’ accounts have been frozen may change the current state of affairs.
As part of an agreement with the American Department of Justice, Poker Stars has frozen the accounts of those taking part in games via a Virtual Private Network. VPNs allow players to scramble their IP addresses so that the operator cannot tell where they are accessing the site from.
For months, American players could carry on as usual; however, the Department of Justice has intervened. The DoJ stated that players located in the United States should not be allowed to access Poker Stars or any other online poker website. Even if using a VPN, American players must still be restricted, and Poker Stars has abided by these regulations.
Poker Stars can identify IP addresses, even when players are using a VPN, so they will be able to identify American players and freeze their accounts. When players log out of their accounts, their IP addresses become visible and unscrambled. American poker players should use caution when playing poker online, and stick to sites that are allowed to operate in the United States.
