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Phil Ivey statement RE DOJ....
anyway great stuff from Phil Ivey here.
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For many years, I have been proud to call myself a poker player. This great sport has taken me to places I only imagined going and I have been blessed with much success. It is therefore with deep regret that I believe I am compelled to release the following statement.
I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.
My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.
I whole heartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.
I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.
Comments
That's a real zomg
What's more, I fancy you ain't heard nothing yet.
LOTS more mileage in this, lots more zomgs to come.
The other 'big name' poker site that was affected by the whole DOJ thing seems to be far, far more proactive in its entire approach to the DOJ and think they will be fine.
This action from Ivey only increases the likely hood that FTP will totally sink in the near future. Not just because if he is making action like this it is clear that things are very wrong with the whole operation, but also because it will probably scare non-US players even more of having funds on there.
* 100% rakeback accounts being bought and sold
* Sponsored players allowed & encouraged to multi-account
* Player account money being used on marketing/business expenses
etc etc. crazy stuff.
In Response to Re: Phil Ivey statement RE DOJ....: 100% agree.
As stated above, I think it is likely to be the tip of the iceberg
The whole thing is extremely sad, imo. Many reputations in tatters, & I know numerous people associated with the Site in either a business capacity, or as Red Pros, as well as regular players there who are owed a lot of money which they can't get their hands on, though I'm sure they'll get it in due course. I feel for almost all of them, though not those who allegedly sought to circumvent the law. When holding other people's cash, Companies have a very special need to be squeaky clean in every way.
Contrary to what many may think, I take no pleasure or satisfaction whatsoever in watching the whole house of cards come slowly tumbling down.
I really wish the whole thing were just a bad dream, but it's a nightmare.
What is the essential business relationship between FT and Ivey these days? I know he's their poster boy and a red pro, but does he have any integral connection to the business beyond this?
Breach of trust is the key issue as you say Tikay. People need to be able to play with complete confidence, but also be able to believe the site is honourable and transparent in their practises. I logged onto FT last night and was shocked that it was running at about 20% of its previous capacity.
To be fair, "20% of previous capacity" is not backed up by reliable traffic stats, which can be viewed at places such as pokerscout, it's not quite that bad yet, & I sincerely hope it stabilises soon.
FT lost about 35% of it's traffic in the immediate aftermath of Black Friday, iirc, & in the last 4 weeks, has seen further declines of 5%, 5%, 5%, &, last week, 7%, respectively.
All very sad, but despite my unease with the whole thing, & for my friends & acquaintances who are affected by it, I really have zero-tolerance for any abuse of trust, most especially when it involves holding other peoples money. There can & must be no excuses or caveats on this, none whatsoever.
Phil Ivey Boycotts WSOP
Most people know that online poker isnt my preffered format. But to its credit, these recent issues abroad have highlighted some of the true strengths of Sky Poker.
There are very clear deposit options, defining responsible gambling clearly with fixed deposit limits. I always liked that you could multi withdraw without any real hassle, without the option to reverse transfer and such. Plus the money is normally in your bank within 3 days. Plus you dont have to go through any ridiculously convoluted ID confirmation to withdraw. Hate this on some sites. They'll happily take your money blind, but when it comes to withdrawing its a different matter.
Did that. They said yes no problem, took my details and crediited my account.
Then when I go to withdraw, I notice they have removed my visa details for two cards and the credit card isnt showing.
I do however, have a long form to fill in with bank name, address, details etc etc
hmm, dont want to derail the thread though, sorry guys ignore me!!
From a whiny ex-51er no less
As far as im aware Phil Ivey owns 5% of FTP, is this true? So he has started a lawsuit against himself?
It must be a very BIG thing for him to not play the WSOP, so hats off to him.
We still do not have a specific timeframe for this. There has been, and remains, no bigger priority than getting US players paid as soon as possible, and we have been working around the clock to get this done"
Yes thats sure to keep the pros happy.
I know that the one other site i do play on that was effected by black friday has recovered fully and withdraws and desposits are simpler than ever.
I think there is far worse to come out of this. I know on the other site players who where sponsored who where effected now are registered at "united kingdom" or "canada" rather than US. This seems to be common amougst many american poker players.
The WSOP will likley suffer this year and if i remember correctly ESPN pulled out of televising it aswell although would need to have that confirmed.
I think this situation is only one which will get worse. However i fully believe the online poker world will come out stronger after it.