Seals With Clubs Chairman Bryan Micon Targeted in Armed NGC Raid
Former Seals with Clubs chairman Bryan Micon has now confirmed that he and his Las Vegas residence were the subjects of an armed raid conducted under the auspices of the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) on February 11th, precipitating the permanent closure of Seals With Clubs, formerly the Internet’s largest Bitcoin-only online poker site.
Discussion forums had been abuzz regarding the sudden closure of the site, following a nine-day cessation of services immediately following the formerly unexplained events of February 11th. On that day, NGC agents and armed officers raided Micon’s home, placing him in handcuffs and leading him outside — in his underwear, as Micon reported it — while the agents conducted an eight-hour raid of his premises. The agents, also according to Micon’s own report, confiscated several electronic devices, including computers, during their raid and search.
The raid, during and after which Micon emphasized he was not placed under arrest, have hastened his planned move to Antigua, an internet gambling-friendly jurisdiction that has already become home to many American expats involved in the online gaming industry.
Micon has confirmed that he will relocate to Antigua permanently, and will relaunch his BTC-based poker site under a new brand name, SwCPoker. No live date has yet been set for the launch of the new site.
In departing the US, at least temporarily, Micon decried the “police state” tactics of the raiding officers and enforcement agencies involved. Micon that such an experience and, by extension the US government, were unsuitable in his eyes for raising his two-year-old daughter.
Micon also reported that in conjunction with the raid, some unusual and as yet unexplained activity took place at the Seals With Clubs online home, which was housed by a European ISP, Voxility. Micon also plans to relocate the new SWCPoker to Antigua-based servers.
Here’s Micon’s own five-minute video describing the events of February 11th and the demise of the original Seals With Clubs site:
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