PPA and AGA made statements on DOJ action against Full Tilt Poker

John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), issued the following statement upon today's amended Department of Justice civil suit claiming that Full Tilt Poker was engaged in a "Ponzi scheme" and defrauded its players. 

“This is a sad and disappointing day for American poker players.  If true, these allegations detail a massive betrayal of player trust which will cause financial hardship for thousands, if not millions, of individual poker players, none of whom are accused of doing anything wrong.  We call on the Department of Justice to certify that the proceeds of any settlement or seizure that may result from this action will first be dedicated to reimbursing players.  We further call on Full Tilt Poker, its management, directors and owners to take all available steps to ensure the prompt payment of players as their first priority.

"Since Black Friday on April 15th, the PPA has vocally called for Full Tilt Poker to refund player balances.  We also issued a guide to our players which provided them legal guidance on what they could do to recover their funds.  These new government allegations underscore the sincere need for Congress to act immediately to pass legislation that appropriately regulates Internet poker in the U.S. so that players can be protected from the types of abuses alleged by the Department of Justice today.  Today’s news does not change the mission of the PPA – to make player reimbursements and effective federal or state licensing of Internet poker a priority."

Besides, Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., President  & CEO, American Gaming Association, said: “We applaud the DOJ for this latest action, but every time a shady website is shut down, an even shadier one pops up. The type of illegal activity the DOJ is accusing Full Tilt Poker of will continue to happen in the absence of the same tough, stringent regulations and enforcement that successfully govern bricks-and-mortar casinos.”

“The Code of Conduct we released today details the type of measures that will help ensure American consumers are protected. The time to act is now, or millions of Americans playing online will continue to face a risky environment. Congress needs to establish federal guidelines so that states that choose to can regulate and license online poker, and bring the jobs and revenues associated with this billion dollar industry to the US,” Fahrenkopf concluded.