As news continues coming in that makes Full Tilt Poker look worse and worse, people in the online gambling community are distancing themselves from the disgraced poker company. Poker pro Phil Ivey publicly bashed the company and is suing them. Congressman Barney Frank said he is disappointed in them and that he will return the campaign contributions of the three indicted executives if they are found guilty. Poker players and online casino owners are throwing Full Tilt under the bus, angry that a seemingly bad apple is giving the entire industry a bad name. And now the Poker Players Alliance is piling on.
The powerful U.S.-based poker lobbying group has issued advice to American Full Tilt customers who have been unable to get refunds from the company. In a statement issued Friday, the PPA urges those players to “contact the Victim/Witness Coordinator at the U.S. Attorney’s office and ask that you be afforded the rights of a crime victim.”
This comes on the heels of the Justice Department adding to the charges against Full Tilt, alleging that the board members and executives were taking money from the accounts of players as payment. One U.S. attorney said that Full Tilt Poker was less of a legitimate business and more like a “Ponzi scheme.”
If those allegations prove to be true, it’s something from which Full Tilt can never recover. The problem is that it will also stain the credibility of other poker rooms that are legitimate. Full Tilt was one of the biggest names in the industry and they were trusted by many. For that reason, it is wise for PPA to distance themselves from the company. In the past, they had received contributions from the Interactive Gaming Council, a group funded by Full Tilt.