There are two groups of players at poker sites. The largest group is bad players. These players typically deposit money on the site, play until their account i

There are two groups of players at poker sites. The largest group is bad players. These players typically deposit money on the site, play until their account is exhausted, and then deposit again. For them, the amount they put on a poker site is not a deposit, but instead an entertainment fee. There is also a group of professional players on the sites. These players make a deposit (say, an initial $1000), and in the course of playing (better than the bad players) their balance grows. They periodically withdraw small portions of their balance to cover living expenses. Their deposit is an investment in every way. Go hang out on some poker forums and research bankroll management, and you will see a lot of terms that are common in investing. So who here is making a bank-like deposit? The bad players almost never get their money back, and the good players have far more in their account than they initially invested. A good site, like PokerStars, will segregate player money and always have it on hand. But in an unregulated market where everyone is relying on the goodwill of the poker sites to manage their funds, there is no guarantee of anything. If a country destroys that goodwill (by seizing funds and issuing indictments), why should we be surprised that the money is no longer available?