The Full Tilt Poker (FTP) reimbursement process gets cloudier after a sensitive e-mail belonging to the claims administrator, Garden City Group (GCG), found its way onto the desk of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) VP of Player Relations, Rich Muny.
There are not many constants in life, but the one you can always rely on is the good old-fashioned release of private information. Whether it’s a sex tape, audio confession or e-mail, you can be sure it will fall into the hands of those that shouldn’t be touching it, which is exactly what has happened to an e-mail that looks like an internal memo from the GCG.
The e-mail was sent to Richard Muny from the PPA who reached out to the GCG for comment…he is still waiting. That lack of response is being taken as a sign of document authenticity, and a copy of the finer details has since been posted on the PPA website and 2+2.
The e-mail is essentially a list of persons who are exempt from the remission process that is planned to take place between Sep 16th and Nov 15th of this year.
Here are the contents of that e-mail.
The following persons are excluded from the Remission process and are not eligible for payment from the Full Tilt Poker (“FTP”) Fund:
i. A past or present employee of FTP or any of its past or present affiliates;
ii. A past or present vendor of FTP that received compensation through FTP players’ accounts;
iii. A past or present Team Full Tilt player;
iv. A past or present shareholder of FTP, Tiltware LLC, Kolyma Corporation A.V.V., Pocket Kings Ltd., Pocket Kings Consulting Ltd., Filco Ltd., Vantage Ltd., Ranston Ltd., Mail Media Ltd., or Full Tilt Poker Ltd.;
v. A past or present officer or director of FTP, Tiltware LLC, Kolyma Corporation A.V.V., Pocket Kings Ltd., Pocket Kings Consulting Ltd., Filco Ltd., Vantage Ltd., Ranston Ltd., Mail Media Ltd., or Full Tilt Poker Ltd. or any of their past or present affiliates;
vi. A defendant in any civil action or a claimant in any forfeiture action brought by the Department of Justice related to the violations alleged in this action, or any related action (or any of his or her affiliates, assigns, heirs, distributees, spouses, parents, children, or controlled entities); and
vii. A person who, as of the Petition filing deadline, has been the subject of criminal charges related to the violations alleged in this action, or any related action (or any of his or her affiliates, assigns, heirs, distributees, spouses, parents, children, or controlled entities).
As you would expect, the e-mail creates more questions than it supplies answers, especially when it concerns the exemption of ‘affiliates’ and ‘past or present Full Tilt players.’
There are many ways that you can be an affiliate ranging from the huge companies such as PokerStrategy.com to an individual player who has coerced a second player to join FTP through his recommendation. If you are benefiting, financially, through this transaction then you are deemed an affiliate. So is it credible to assume that a player who has $100,000 in his account may not see a penny of it, because back in the day he advised Joe Bloggs to join FTP, and has since earned 99 cents in Rakeback from this player? The other issue that will be making some people’s skin itch will be whether a Full Tilt Red Pro, or Friend of Full Tilt, will be classed as a Full Tilt employee or Full Tilt player?
When poker matters are taken out of poker’s hands – as is the case with this remission process – then the rules are usually very black and white to those that are painting them. In this instance I don’t think the painters palette has a spot of red in it. If you were a red pro then you are going to be screwed, and if you once advised your Mum to join FTP you are also screwed.
What really grinds my gears about this whole process is FTP screws the entire world and yet the American players are now going to be treated differently. I know for a fact that the FTP Red Pros, that were non-US based, received their money when the Rational Group donned their red cape and swooped to the rescue back in November, so to not pay American Red Pros is wrong on so many levels.
So the e-mail just provides more questions…so what’s next?
The most important thing for a former FTP player based in America is to submit your claim as per the remission process. The window opens on the 16th Sep and closes on the 15th Nov so get cracking. In the meantime the rest of us will just sit back and wait for the next leaked document.
