Misplaced Pages

#911088

27-487: Absolute Poker was established in 2003. It was licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission . In September 2007, Absolute Poker began defending itself following accusations made by members of several Internet forums that the online poker room has a "superuser" account which allows one player to read the hole cards of another during a game. By October, widespread Internet allegations of cheating led to

54-476: A .net play-money-only cardroom. UltimateBet hosted an annual live tournament, the Aruba Poker Classic, which was a World Poker Tour event for the first four seasons of the show. In 2005, Freddy Deeb won the event, claiming the $ 1,000,000 prize. Prior winners were Eric Brenes in 2004, Erick Lindgren in 2003, and Juha Helppi in 2002. The tournament in 2008 was a $ 5,000 buy-in event with

81-710: A Client Provider Authorization of US$ 40,000. Application fees include the cost of the first annual fee for both Client Provider Authorizations and Key Person Licences and are refundable if an application is not granted. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and the Commission have consistently asserted that the jurisdiction to enact the Kahnawake Gaming Law is an aspect of Kahnawake's Mohawk or "aboriginal rights" that have existed since time immemorial and that were most recently recognized and affirmed in subsection 35(1) of Canada's Constitution Act, 1982 . Since it

108-580: A Client Provider Authorization of US$ 40,000. Application fees include the cost of the first annual fee for both Client Provider Authorizations and Key Person Licences and are refundable if an application is not granted. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and the Commission have consistently asserted that the jurisdiction to enact the Kahnawake Gaming Law is an aspect of Kahnawake's Mohawk or "aboriginal rights" that have existed since time immemorial and that were most recently recognized and affirmed in subsection 35(1) of Canada's Constitution Act, 1982 . Since it

135-526: A guaranteed $ 1 million top prize. The company sponsored the poker television series Poker2Nite , hosted by professional poker player Joe Sebok and radio host Scott Huff . Spokespeople for UltimateBet have included professional poker players Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke , as well as actress-turned-poker player Tiffany Michelle . Prior to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 ,

162-414: A high-ranking trusted consultant employed by AP whose position gave him extraordinary access to certain security systems. As has been speculated in several online forums, this consultant devised a sophisticated scheme to manipulate internal systems to access third-party computers and accounts to view hole cards of other customers during play without their knowledge. [...] We will pay for all losses suffered by

189-506: Is also eligible for reimbursement. The Garden City Group was retained as claims administrator. This is the same company that handled claims relating to Full Tilt Poker, which was also targeted in the 2011 indictments against online poker firms. After the Full Tilt Poker remissions process was completed, having returned more than $ 118 million to affected players, some of the money that had been set aside for it yet remained unclaimed. It

216-582: Is this leftover amount that will be distributed in compensation to the former customers of the Cereus Poker Network. The petition for remission deadline is set at Sept. 7, 2017 with payments to be processed shortly thereafter. Kahnawake Gaming Commission The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is a gaming regulatory body that licenses and regulates a large number of online casinos , online poker rooms and online sportsbook sites, as well as three land-based poker rooms that are situated within

243-641: The Kahnawake Gaming Commission stated it had found clear and convincing evidence to support a conclusion that between the approximate dates of May 2004 to January 2008, Russ Hamilton was the main person responsible for, and benefiting from, multiple cheating incidents at Ultimate Bet. On April 15, the Department of Justice seized the .com internet addresses of the three online gambling sites, PokerStars, Full Tilt, and Absolute Poker. The Cereus Poker Network continued operating until May 12, 2012 when players reported being unable to connect to game servers using

270-578: The Kahnawake Gaming Commission beginning an investigation. Although allegations had been made about several accounts, one of the most remarkable pieces of evidence was a complete history of a tournament which was won by a player called "POTRIPPER". This history was far more complete than normal; it included all hidden hole cards for all of the players at the table, and the IP addresses of players and third-party observers who were watching

297-612: The Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake . The Commission was first established in 1996 pursuant to the Kahnawake Gaming Law enacted by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. The Commission's Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming were first enacted in July, 1999. The permits issued by the Commission to online gambling operators are called Client Provider Authorizations. The Commission charges an initial application fee for

SECTION 10

#1732792954912

324-430: The Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake . The Commission was first established in 1996 pursuant to the Kahnawake Gaming Law enacted by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. The Commission's Regulations concerning Interactive Gaming were first enacted in July, 1999. The permits issued by the Commission to online gambling operators are called Client Provider Authorizations. The Commission charges an initial application fee for

351-722: The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement announced that it had reached an understanding with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission wherein the KGC would no longer provide licenses to gambling operators who accept customers from the United States of America. Kahnawake Gaming Commission The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is a gaming regulatory body that licenses and regulates a large number of online casinos , online poker rooms and online sportsbook sites, as well as three land-based poker rooms that are situated within

378-467: The Ultimate Bet poker site and imposed a number of sanctions on Ultimate Bet's ownership, Tokwiro Enterprises , including: a direction that approximately US$ 22,000,000 be refunded to Ultimate Bet players, a fine in the amount of US$ 1,500,000 and a direction that Ultimate Bet modify its operations in numerous specific ways to ensure there would be no further incidences of cheating. In September 2016,

405-406: The Ultimate Bet poker site and imposed a number of sanctions on Ultimate Bet's ownership, Tokwiro Enterprises , including: a direction that approximately US$ 22,000,000 be refunded to Ultimate Bet players, a fine in the amount of US$ 1,500,000 and a direction that Ultimate Bet modify its operations in numerous specific ways to ensure there would be no further incidences of cheating. In September 2016,

432-467: The affected players as soon as our audit is finished and the amounts are determined. In November 2007, Absolute issued an interim statement claiming the employee cheating had taken place over a period of forty days and that the cardroom was refunding $ 1.6 million to affected players. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission issued its report on the incident in January 2008. Among other consequences, Absolute Poker

459-434: The company released a statement about the scandal, claiming that cheating had taken place from March 2006 to December 2007. However, in a later statement they confirmed that the cheating had begun at the start of 2005: We have also confirmed that the cheating dates back further than we initially believed. We can now confirm that the cheating began in January 2005, long before Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG acquired UltimateBet from

486-480: The game via the Internet. It was sent out, perhaps by accident, when a player complained about suspicious play. Reviewing the data, mathematician and gaming expert Michael Shackleford said: Hand after hand POTRIPPER’s play is consistent with that of a player who had knowledge of every player’s hole cards. The majority of hands show POTRIPPER bluffing at just the right times when his opponents were weak. Yet, when he

513-514: The plaintiff it stated that "the Court does not consider it necessary to rule on the validity ... of the gaming law". Presently, the Commission licences over 50 online gaming operators, representing an estimated 250 online gaming sites. In September 2009, following a lengthy investigation, the Commission issued its decision in what has become known as the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. The Commission's decision affirmed that cheating had occurred on

540-462: The plaintiff it stated that "the Court does not consider it necessary to rule on the validity ... of the gaming law". Presently, the Commission licences over 50 online gaming operators, representing an estimated 250 online gaming sites. In September 2009, following a lengthy investigation, the Commission issued its decision in what has become known as the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. The Commission's decision affirmed that cheating had occurred on

567-589: The poker client software. At the time of its closure, it owed players an estimated $ 50 million, mostly to residents of the United States. On April 10, 2017, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued a press release explaining that former players at Absolute Poker would be eligible to file claims to regain the funds in their balances at the defunct poker site. Money held in Ultimate Bet accounts

SECTION 20

#1732792954912

594-457: The previous ownership. The company claimed the cheating was perpetrated by employees of the former owners, Excapsa Software. According to the company, the fraudulent activity was traced to unauthorized software code that transferred hole-card information of other players to the perpetrators during play. UltimateBet stated it had removed the cheating software as of February 2008 and began issuing refunds to affected players. On September 29, 2008,

621-543: The software parent company of the cardroom, Excapsa Software was traded on the London Stock Exchange as XCP.L. In October 2006, the company announced it was selling its assets to a private company and moving to delist itself from the stock exchange. The legality of the deal was immediately questioned because most of the payment would take place after the act became law. UltimateBet had a cheating scandal similar in nature to that of Absolute Poker. In May 2008,

648-400: Was fined $ 500,000. The Quebec provincial police opened an investigation into the ongoing matter. Founded in 2001, UltimateBet was licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission . UltimateBet offered Texas hold 'em , Omaha high and high low , seven card stud high and high low . Mixed game tables were also offered (HO, HOSE , HORSE ). Like other online poker rooms, UltimateBet also offered

675-488: Was first established in 1996, the legality of the Kahnawake Gaming Law and the activities of the Commission have never been challenged under the laws of Canada or any other jurisdiction. In July, 2007, in a case that raised a challenge to a decision of the Commission refusing the issuance of a permit, the Quebec Superior Court decided in favour of the Commission. However, because the court ruled against

702-416: Was first established in 1996, the legality of the Kahnawake Gaming Law and the activities of the Commission have never been challenged under the laws of Canada or any other jurisdiction. In July, 2007, in a case that raised a challenge to a decision of the Commission refusing the issuance of a permit, the Quebec Superior Court decided in favour of the Commission. However, because the court ruled against

729-473: Was hopelessly outmatched, even with good cards, he laid them down. Shackleford subsequently blacklisted Absolute Poker on his gaming-related website. On October 19, an unofficial source within Absolute Poker claimed that an employee had hacked the system to "prove a point". On October 21, Absolute released an official statement: ...it appears that the integrity of our poker system was compromised by

#911088