Full Tilt Poker Gets Public Hearing Adjourned
On June 29th, the Aldnerney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) announced that it was suspending the operating license of Full Tilt Poker, after the site has proved that it was unable to make payouts to players from North America following Black Friday.
The suspension was immediate and games came to a virtual standstill. At the same time, the AGCC promised to hold a public hearing in London on July 26th to show, in a way that was as transparent as possible, why it reached its decision to suspend the poker room's license.
Poker players were hoping that the hearing would provide them with a clear picture of what they could expect in the future regarding action at the site and, more importantly, when they could expect to see the over $150 million owed to them.
However, from the first moment, the hearing didn't deliver what it promised. Full Tilt's lawyers refused to cooperate in a public forum and asked for a private hearing instead. They said that a public hearing could jeopardize ongoing negotiations it is currently holding with new investors.
FTP Owes £250K to the AGCC
It was also learned at this point that Full Tilt owes the AGCC around £250K in licensing fees, and would not be paying this money unless it was granted its operating license back by the commission.
The public and media were asked to leave the room and a meeting between the two sides was held in private, much to the disgust of poker pro Harry Demetriou who yelled on his way out: "What about the interests of the players? Why are you protecting this corrupt company?"
Later, it was announced that it had been decided to adjourn the meeting until September 15th - a decision, according to the AGCC, that it did not enter into lightly.
