It’s a sad day for sports bettors.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized the domain name to Firstrowsports.tv, a popular site that streamed live games across multiple leagues. The site was seized on the grounds of copyright infringement.
“It is unlawful to reproduce or distribute copyrighted material such as movies, music, software or games without authorization,” the notice on Firstrowsports said. “Individuals who willfully reproduce or distribute copyrighted material, without authorization, risk criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 2319.”
Personally, I could care less about the legal trouble those who operate the site now find themselves in. What I do care about is figuring out a website that will carry Thursday night’s Florida Atlantic-South Alabama game. Or Portland-Santa Clara. Or one of a handful of other obscure games that nobody outside the sports betting community cares about.
The timing of the move isn’t particularly surprising. The Super Bowl is just four days away, and obviously it would be a huge draw, not only in the United States but around the globe. Also, it’s worth noting that the ICE doesn’t mess around when it comes to seizing domains and prosecuting the operators behind the sites.
David McCarthy, a 32-year-old who formerly operated ChannelSurfing.net, could face up to five years in prison. Other sites that have been seized in the past include ATDHE.net and HQ-Streams.com, among others. These sites usually find a way to resurface, and surely another site will pop up in the weeks or months ahead.
Until then, you might have to get used to tracking scores of random MAAC games on your ESPN Gamecast. Or, worse yet, on CSTV’s god-awful GameTracker. #FML
