ESPN Pulls Ads from Online Gambling Sites

ESPN has pulled all its poker-related ads and programming and European poker players have scrambled to other sites, after US authorities indicted the owners of three major poker rooms over alleged bank fraud, illegal gambling offenses and money laundering.

"For the immediate future, we are making efforts to remove related advertising and programming pending further review," ESPN said in a statement sent to international news agency Reuters.

The network said it made its decision after learning about the indictments, which were announced last Friday. However, it said it has no plans to cancel the broadcast of the annual World Series of Poker Tournament, beginning in May. ESPN broadcasts several gambling events as part of its regular schedule, and accepts sponsorship from poker sites as part of that coverage.

Meanwhile, poker sites that haven't been affected by this breaking news gambling story in the United States are cashing in, which Paddy Power this week launching a number of bankroll benefits for European players upset over the shutdown of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker in the USA.

In addition, poker-related sites such as the TwoPlusTwo forum and the website of the Poker Players Alliance have been affected, with both sites experiencing heavy traffic and crashing temporarily after the news was broken. Poker pros also took to Twitter and Facebook to second the words of PPA chief Alfonse D'Amato, who said: "Online poker is not a crime and should not be treated as such."