In a move that seems to have removed all doubt that Full Tilt has no interest in their players, the company filed to adjourn their hearing with the Alderney Gaming Control Commission until September. What’s more is that they made this official request in private, shutting out a courtroom full of journalists and players anxious to hear news from a site that they feel has abandoned them.
The AGCC had created this open hearing so that they could air Full Tilt’s dirty laundry in public, stating that the players and the rest of the public had a right to the information behind the license suspension for the popular online poker site. Andre Wilsenach, the Executive Director of the AGCC, stated that they wanted a public hearing because it “demonstrates [their] willingness to act transparently.” Not transparently enough, it seems, to allay the concerns of a public that is now crying foul.
Full Tilt lawyer Martin Heslop began today’s hearing by requesting a private hearing to determine whether the AGCC would adjourn the proceedings until later. Although he claims that this was not due to Full Tilt’s attempts to hide anything from their players, but rather to respect the delicacy of the situation with the mysterious, unnamed buyer/investor, especially given the media frenzy surrounding this case, a lot of people are skeptical. After Heslop’s request, professional poker player Harry Demetriou stood up and shouted, “What about the interests of the players? Why are you protecting this corrupt company?” He was removed from the courtroom, but not before many other people in the audience could mirror their support of his statement.
One of the new bits of information that we learned from this hearing (apart from the fact that everyone seems to be tired of Full Tilt and their antics by this point) is that the company owes the Alderney Gaming Control Commission ₤250,000, which they have no intention of paying back if their license isn’t reinstated. What does that say about the way that Full Tilt does business? If they don’t get their way, they’re not planning on paying off their debts? Is it just me, or does that not bode well for the countless players who are owed, in sum, hundreds of millions of dollars, rather than just a quarter million to a gaming agency that currently has Full Tilt over a barrel?
As it turns out, the AGCC decided to postpone the hearing until September 15, and the internet erupted into a cacophony of lambasting and criticism as soon as the decision went public. Players, at this point, seem to believe that Full Tilt isn’t on their side any more (if ever they were), but they thought that they could at least trust a regulatory agency that was supposed to protect them. More and more players are criticizing the AGCC, stating that the company is interested only in its own monetary returns, and not that of the countless Full Tilt players who have yet to see a cent of their money returned.
We will have to wait and see what is in store with the upcoming hearing and the “investors” that Full Tilt sources say will be game changers (unless you live in the US, as the “investors” only want the Europe market, leaving US players without any kind of recourse– except for that class action lawsuit). Keep tuned to MaxPokerBonus.co.uk for more breaking poker news!