While Lock Poker’s issues –problems that go well beyond their decision to change their P2P transfer policy– have been drawing the most attention, the beleaguered collection of sites that make up the Revolution Gaming Network isn’t the only online poker network that is having issues with Player-to-Player transfers. Recently the iPoker Network has also changed their P2P transfer policy, halting all transfers for the time being.
Player-to-Player transfers (usually referred to as P2P transfers) have become a way of life for online poker players in a post-UIGEA and Black Friday world where deposit and withdrawal times are no longer measured in minutes and hours, instead measured in days and weeks. Players use P2P transfers to not only move funds on and off a site, but also as an easy way for backers to stake players, and even as a marketplace transaction from poker forums.
According to PokerFuse.com, the iPoker decision to suspend all P2P transfers network wide stems from an investigation into one of iPoker’s skins, Winner Poker. According to the report the investigation is now wrapping up and a number of Winner Poker players who had their player accounts locked during the investigation are once again able to access their accounts. iPoker has also stated that the suspension of P2P transfers is only temporary.
iPoker called the investigation “security concerns”, but has not elaborated as to what these security concerns might be at this time. It’s unlikely that the iPoker suspension of P2P transfers has anything to do with Lock Poker’s claims that several “affiliates” were using their ability to get expedited cash-outs and buying up Lock Poker money on 2+2 at extremely reduced rates. According to Lock Poker representatives several players posing as affiliates created multiple accounts to transfer purchased money to, and then moved this money on to the main account which was receiving expedited withdrawals.
Lock Poker’s industry-worst withdrawal times have caused the value of Lock Poker money to plummet to under $.40 on the dollar, and faith in the site’s solvency is at an all-time low. So much so that a number of posters at 2+2 feel the explanation for the change to P2P transfer policies is a smokescreen. The situation has at Lock Poker has been deteriorating for several months, and Lock critics have been getting louder and louder as the site’s withdrawal issues and failure to communicate in any reasonable way with the poker community has armed these critics with plenty of ammunition to fire at the site.
Under the pressure being leveled at the site by the 2+2 community, several Lock Poker Pros have distanced themselves from the company including Paul Volpe and Chris Moorman, while other Lock Pro players have continued to represent and defend the site. The site did issue several statements on Thursday evening on their own website, as well as at the very-Lock-friendly Gambling911.com.
