As jaded online gamblers set their sights on those who have done them wrong, Erick Lindgren finds himself in the crosshairs. Multiple players and backers are slamming Lindgren, calling him a “degenerate… who never pays his debts”. The idea that someone else is holding onto money that rightfully belongs to another player has raised hackles the world over, ever since the Full Tilt scandal first hit the fan many months ago. Since that time, players and even the Group Bernard Tapie have been slinging accusations left and right, looking for an outlet for their rage, a likely scapegoat, or both.
Lindgren’s association with Full Tilt isn’t helping him clear his name. It seems that more often than not, players are willing to believe the worst about not only Lindgren, but the other players associated with the site as well. The root of the problem seems to be not that Lindgren has some problem paying off his debts in a timely manner (this has allegedly always been a problem with him), but rather that his steady source of income has dried up, and a player who once had $250,000 of income every month to balance out his losses now seems only to accumulate more debts.
According to posts over at 2+2 (you can read either the short version or the much more cumbersome long version), Lindgren has defaulted on several personal loans and debts accrued whlie placing bets on fantasy leagues, golf bets, and countless poker games. These debts range from as little as $2,800 on a fantasy league bet to well over $50,000. Those who have dealt with Lindgren and his debts in the past say that he never pays right away– it usually takes 5-6 months of aggressive pursuit before the poker star pays, but that things may be different now that Lindgren’s income source has dried up and he’s claiming to be flat broke. This, of course, begs three questions:
Why does anyone make bets with Lindgren, given his long-standing bad reputation?
Two main reasons: Lindgren is known as easy money in Fantasy Leagues, which means that players will risk having to wait indefinitely because they know that playing with him means free money in their pockets. Also, he’s historically paid off all his debts– eventually. The problem now is that people are starting to wait a little more than usual, and the Full Tilt scandal has rocked the foundation of trust in the poker community.
Why are we just hearing about this now?
Lindgren is in the news because of his associations with Full Tilt– that automatically makes him persona non grata in a community full of players who were burned by FTP and other poker sites after Black Friday. Unpaid debts speak to a much bigger point of contention– it’s not even about Lindgren or the other players, really, but about people who don’t have as much money being royally pissed off at people who do, especially when they’re not responsible with it.
If Lindgren is broke, how is he still playing in the LAPC and other poker tournaments?
That’s easy. Either he’s actually not broke and is lying to avoid playing his debts, or he has backers who are funding him with more loans until he hits a big pot and can start paying off debts Either way, it’s not a good situation for those who are owed money.
In addition to giving details on debts and repayment specific to Lindgren, the 2+2 forums also give a lot of insight into the present mindset of the poker community where debts (and professional players in general) are concerned. Players understand that Lindgren is just a symptom of a larger problem affecting the poker community. There’s a rallying cry that professional gamblers of any kind shouldn’t be trusted, given the incredibly unstable income and a history of volatile relationships with money that come about from rapidly toggling between having a great deal of it and then having next to nothing. As frustration with professional players grows, poker’s reputation and place worldwide grows a little more dicey– perhaps we haven’t yet seen the end of the tremendous Black Friday backlash after all.