Poker professional and former Team Full Tilt member Phil Ivey has broken his silence about the ongoing non-repayment of funds to Full Tilt customers, expressing his disappointment and embarrassment and revealing that he has filed suit against the company.
With few exceptions, the online gaming community has been near unanimous in its condemnation of the way Full Tilt has handled its customers since the Department of Justice indictment in April which shut down their US operations.
In contrast to rival online poker operator PokerStars which was also subject to the DoJ indictments, Full Tilt has been accused of failing to communicate with players and lambasted for failing to begin the process of returning player funds.
In a statement released Tuesday, Ivey expressed his regret at being compelled to speak out, but said that he could no longer remain silent while so many players suffer economic harm.
“I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible,” said Ivey.
“My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.”
The eight time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner said that he wholeheartedly refuses to accept inaction regarding the repayment of funds to players and expressed his anger at the fact that “people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly”.
“I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.”
Earlier this week, Full Tilt stated that it has no specific timeframe for the repayment of player funds and claimed that the silence of its sponsored poker professionals was a result of ongoing legal constraints. The company said that it is in the process of raising capital in order to speed up the repayment of funds to US players but denied claims that it is in financial crisis.
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