eGaming Review May 2012 | Page 44

A NEW HOPE FEATURE BLACK FRIDAY:ONE YEAR ON 29 Sept 2011 POKER: AGCC revokes three of Full Tilt’s four operating licences, while the fourth remains suspended 30 Sept 2011 French consortium Groupe Bernard Tapie signs initial acquisition agreement with Full Tilt 3 October 7 October 24 October 2011 Indicted payment processor Chad Elie and banker John Campos ?le motions to dismiss 2011 AGCC agrees to assist the relevant police authorities on player complaints relating to Full Tilt 2011 Full Tilt software company Pocket Kings lays off 180 staff at its base at Cherrywood in Dublin now rely on rakeback deals alone, not to mention the uncertainty over how affiliates would ?t into a regulated American market if such a framework is to arise. 18 Jan What now? In a similar vein to the Groupe Bernard Tapie deal announcement coming just days after the DoJ allegations about Tiltware’s board members, the news that a jury trial for Elie and Campos would not be forthcoming was followed soon after by a glimmer of light at the end of the Full Tilt tunnel. News of recruitment adverts from FTP technology company Pocket Kings appearing online was followed within hours by the pronouncement that Orinic – the only one of the four Full Tilt companies not to lose its Alderney licence outright – had submitted a formal application with the Channel Island’s regulatory authority. AGCC executive director André Wilsenach has been unable to provide a timeframe for the assessment and approval or denial of the application, but for many this still represents progress after such a long period of speculation. Leaving the inactive companies to one side, is the industry as a whole in better shape than one year ago? A recent poll of eGaming Review readers was split down the middle, with half suggesting things look brighter than on 15 April 2011 due to developments across Europe and the US, and innovations across the industry. Of course, that also leaves the question of whether this improvement or otherwise would have been possible without the actions of the United States Department of Justice, but that might be one to answer a further year down the line. 2012 Ira Rubin pleads guilty to three Black Friday charges including conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud 17 Jan 11 Jan 2012 PokerStars con?rms that CEO Gabi Campos will step down after little over a year in the role 2012 Indictee Chad Elie changes his legal team three months before he is due to stand trial 31 Jan 2012 Judge in RICO case ?nds in favour of Full Tilt pros after plaintiffs fail to establish jurisdiction 3 Feb 8 Feb 2012 GBT lawyers reveal that FTP pros, including Phil Ivey, owe company close to $20m 2012 Chad Elie and John Campos ?le motions to dismiss, which are thrown out the following day 14 Sept Intabill founder Daniel Tzvetkoff, charged with processing more than US$500m for US egaming sites, released on bail 19 May Gambling charges ?led in Maryland against Kenneth Wienski, informant alleged to have processed payments for indicted companies plus Bodog 2010 2010 www.egrmagazine.com 44