De champagne kan ontkurkt worden! Zojuist is bekend geworden dat de deal tussen PokerStars en het Amerikaanse Department of Justice definitief rond is, waarmee tevens de overname van Full Tilt Poker door PokerStars doorgang kan vinden. Lees snel verder over dit geweldige nieuws!
Het nieuws werd via Diamond Flush Poker kenbaar gemaakt. PokerStars zal in drie jaar tijd een bedrag van $547 miljoen dollar aan de Amerikaanse overheid betalen, waarmee alle aanklachten tegen het bedrijf komen te vervallen. Tevens zal PokerStars binnen negentig dagen $184 miljoen dollar beschikbaar stellen om alle tegoeden van spelers op Full Tilt Poker te voldoen.
Kort na de bekendmaking op Diamond Flush Poker kwam Full Tilt Poker met een persverklaring, waarin het volgende te lezen viel:
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FULL TILT POKER CONCLUDES TRANSACTION WITH POKERSTARS AND UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Agreement Ends Civil Forfeiture Proceedings and Includes Payment For All Players
Dublin – July 31, 2012 – Full Tilt Poker is very pleased to announce the conclusion of a three-way transaction with PokerStars and the United States Department of Justice which will result in all of FTP’s US players having the opportunity to be paid. The agreement ends the company’s civil forfeiture proceedings with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Under the terms of the agreement, PokerStars will pay a substantial amount of money to the United States, and the government has agreed that all U.S. players will have an opportunity to request that they be compensated out of those funds for their losses. In addition, within ninety days PokerStars will make available for immediate cash withdrawal or play, the account balances for all of Full Tilt Poker’s non-U.S. players.
Full Tilt Poker apologizes to all of its customers who endured a long and difficult period wondering whether this day would ever come.
Full Tilt Poker expresses its appreciation to its loyal employees whose hard work over the last 15 months preserved the value of the Full Tilt Poker assets so a deal like this could be possible, and to PokerStars and the United States Department of Justice for their efforts in bringing about this resolution.
Jeff Ifrah of Ifrah Law PLLC, (Washington, D.C.) Barry Boss and Anne Madonia of Cozen O’Connor (Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, PA respectively), Tony Coles and Charles Gerada of Jeffrey Green Russell Solicitors (London), and Tony O’Grady of Matheson Ormsby Prentice (Dublin) represented the affiliated companies that owned and operated Full Tilt.
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PokerStars volgde niet veel later met een persbericht van haar kant. Middels de corporate blog gaf Eric Hollreiser, hoofd communicatie bij PokerStars, even later een uitgebreide reactie op het nieuws. Hieronder staat het persbericht van PokerStars.
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POKERSTARS SETTLES DISPUTE WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND ACQUIRES ASSETS OF FULL TILT POKER
ONCHAN, ISLE OF MAN – July 31, 2012 – PokerStars today announced that the Company has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Southern District of New York. As part of the settlement agreement, PokerStars has also acquired the assets of Full Tilt Poker, and has committed to the full reimbursement of Full Tilt Poker customers outside the United States.
The total amount to be paid by PokerStars is USD$547 million which will be payable over a period of three years. The money paid to the US Government will in part be used to reimburse former Full Tilt Poker customers in the United States, through a remission process to be administered by the Department of Justice. PokerStars repaid all amounts owing to its own U.S. customers shortly after it closed its U.S. operations.
PokerStars will also make available in a segregated bank account, all outstanding balances owing to all non-U.S. customers of Full Tilt Poker (an amount totalling USD$184 million), with no restrictions on withdrawals, within 90 days of completing this transaction. PokerStars has remained open for non-U.S. players, with all its licenses in good standing, without interruptions.
Under the agreement with the Department of Justice, PokerStars does not admit to any wrongdoing. Furthermore, the agreement explicitly permits PokerStars to apply to relevant U.S. gaming authorities, under both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker brands, to offer real money online poker when State or Federal governments introduce a framework to regulate such activity.
PokerStars plans to re-launch Full Tilt Poker in most markets as a separate brand, following the appointment of a new, independent management team. Full Tilt Poker’s operations will continue to be run from Dublin, but regulatory oversight will be transferred to the Isle of Man. Further details of these plans will be announced shortly.
“We are delighted we have been able to put this matter behind us, and also secured our ability to operate in the United States of America whenever the regulations allow,” said Mark Scheinberg, Chairman of the Board of PokerStars. “This outcome demonstrates our continuing global leadership of the online poker industry, and our commitment to working with governments and regulators to ensure the highest standards of protection for players.”
“Acquiring certain assets of Full Tilt Poker strengthens PokerStars, brings welcome relief to Full Tilt Poker players who have been waiting over 12 months for repayment of their money, and benefits the entire poker community. Full Tilt Poker’s customers outside the U.S. can soon look forward to accessing their accounts and playing on the re-launched site, confident that they are supported by PokerStars’ history of integrity and our track record of delivering high-quality and secure online poker.”
“The way we have operated our business since the U.S. Department of Justice brought its claim has underlined our credentials as a responsible online poker operator,” Scheinberg continued. “In particular, the prompt repayment of our former US customers in as quick a time frame as possible demonstrated our industry-leading commitment to the segregation of customer funds. We continue to encourage jurisdictions all over the world to introduce sensible online poker regulation.”
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Na maanden van speculatie lijkt het erop dat hiermee aan alle onzekerheid een eind gekomen is. Updates en reacties zullen spoedig in deze thread volgen. We kunnen je in ieder geval alvast linken naar een FAQ van Lee Jones op 2+2, waarin de PokerStars-man op veel vragen in gaat.
Wij trekken vanavond alvast een flesje open.
YES! Nu hopen dat Jokerstars de software, het gameaanbod en het bonussysteem van FT in stand houdt! Ik kan niet wachten op rush MTT’s en de multi-entry toernooien.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2012/07/31/pokerstars-will-pay-547-million-to-settle-u-s-government-charges-and-buy-full-tilt-poker/
Zozo, hoeveel sidebets heb je verloren KT?:P
Precies, als ze nu maar niet de zelfde “RANDOM” generator gaan gebruiken als bij Pokerstars… Voor de rest goed nieuws, kan ik eindelijk bij mijn zuurverdiende dollartjes 😛
Hehe Chups, je kon het niet laten he? :p
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2012/07/31/pokerstars-will-pay-547-million-to-settle-u-s-government-charges-and-buy-full-tilt-poker/
Je stottert Pietje Puk
Enne Kale, ja ik kon het inderdaad niet laten 😉
Maar je zult wel wauzzzzzzzz bedoelen die heeft het nl over je sidebets 😛
@wauzzzz, ik had gewed dat Full Tilt niet operationeel zou zijn op 1 augustus. Daar heb ik gelijk in.
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/
Het staat nu ook op de site inderdaad:)
We plan to re-open Full Tilt in most markets within the next 90 days.
Aangezien alleen pokeraars, met bovengemiddelde intresse voor de game en/of die geld op de site hebben staan, de ontwikkelingen omtrent ftp volgen/ hebben gevolgd…..is het nog maar de vraag hoeveel vissen hun weg naar FT zullen vinden
@KT dan heb je idd gelijk ja:p operationeel duurt zo te zien nog paar maanden. Ik denk wel dat als FT het spelaanbod etc hetzelfde laat dat er wel weer een hoop mensen gaan spelen, die software is gewoon uniek, en met de goeie reputatie van Stars erbij za
Ben wel benieuwd of PS nu via FT een ander soort spelers gaat sponsoren…..
Lijkt me iig niet dat die oplichters van een Lederer, ferguson en Gowen en weet ik veel wie nog meer weer als FT pro worden benoemd.
Mooi, kan ik eindelijk mijn 0,88$ terugvorderen.
@wauzzzzz
nee inderdaad 😀
ben wel benieuwd of die hun gezicht nog durven te laten zien in de pokerwereld….
Van mij mogen ze op een brug gaan staan, en “ALL IN” gaan!