Lawyer: Web poker indictments not anti-gambling

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A defense lawyer known for handling complex financial and corporate crimes cases is telling a gambling industry group that indictments targeting executives at three top poker companies aren’t attacks against gambling itself.

Fred Heather of K&L Gates LLP said today at the iGaming North America conference in Las Vegas that the case against 11 people associated with PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker hinges on bank fraud and money laundering.

Heather says prosecutors have shown they’re not going after online gambling itself by allowing sites to return players’ money.

Heather says eight executives under indictment but living in other countries will likely resist extradition to the U.S. because of severe penalties they face.

The indictments unsealed last month charge company executives with defrauding banks into processing illegal gambling transactions.