Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | October 2011 50 International Briefs Briefs $25 million of this sum. An unnamed Full Tilt Poker pro received at least $40 million in distributions, while also receiving millions of dollars characterised as loans by Full Tilt. Over $4 million of these loans have not been repaid. The amendment also states that up until April 2011, Full Tilt Poker continued making payments of up to $10 million per month to its owners, despite the company’s liquidity issues. The DOJ is seeking $40 million from Mr Bitar, $41.8 million from Mr Lederer, $25 million from Mr Ferguson and $11.7 million from Mr Furst. Aristocrat to premiere new game categories at G2E 2011 At G2E 2011, held 4th to 6th October at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Aristocrat will showcase a line-up of totally new game categories. “We are unveiling new game categories and technologies that are unlike anything the industry has seen before,” said Nick Khin, President of Aristocrat Americas. “We have been previewing the technology to clients over the past few weeks, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We are absolutely thrilled to be introducing these products to the world at G2E.” Aristocrat’s VIRIDIAN™ Hybrid™ with Active Reel Technology™ is being unveiled with a new line of games which have the potential to feature a 5-reel stepper base game, a full screen video and a 3-reel stepper bonus, all in the same game. This is made possible with Aristocrat’s innovative LCD with shutters on the reel windows. First in the VIRIDIAN Hybrid line is Winning Wishes™, launching with three game titles: Persian Prize™, Pixie Riches™ and Tahitian Treasures™. Also in the line are Zorro™: The Legend Returns™ and Zorro™: The Mask & The Rose™, three- level progressives with five different features. Further, Ultra Spin™ is a new series of bonus bank games with free games and progressive and/or credit awards bonuses. Stormin’ Jackpots™ are games that contain bonus features and can be configured as either non-progressive or as standalone progressive. Players are challenged to collect Storm symbols for progressive or credit awards. Aristocrat is also unveiling Gold Class Cash Express ™. Based on the popular original Cash Express™, Gold Class Cash Express features new Gold Class and multiplier wheel features, high frequency base games, bonus and jackpot features and a five-level progressive. Aristocrat invites visitors to check out its new game categories and titles at G2E booth #1141 . Massachusetts gambling bill moves to Senate The debate on expanded gambling in Massachusetts shifted to the Senate on 15th September, following the overwhelming backing by the House of a bill to authorize three casinos—spread geographically across the state—and a single slot machine facility, reported the Statehouse News Service . DOJ says Full Tilt was a global Ponzi scheme According to a report in Casino City Times, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said on 20th September that Full Tilt Poker operated as a “global Ponzi scheme” and that its primary owners, including poker professionals Howard Lederer and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, defrauded the site’s players out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The DOJ filed a motion to amend an earlier civil complaint against Full Tilt Poker to include “additional allegations, claims, and defendants concerning a fraudulent scheme by Full Tilt Poker and its Board of Directors concerning the misuse of players’ funds,”stated a memorandum sent out by Preet Bharara, US Attorney from the Southern District of New York. “Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme,” Mr Bharara said in a statement. “Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited.” Mr Lederer, Mr Ferguson, former CEO Ray Bitar and Rafael “Rafe” Furst, all owners of Full Tilt Poker, are accused of distributing approximately US$443 million to themselves and other owners of the company. The amended complaint alleges that Full Tilt mixed player funds with operating funds, despite public claims to the contrary by the site. The DOJ said that by the end of March, Full Tilt Poker owed approximately $390 million to players worldwide, including $150 million to American players, but had less than $60 million in its bank accounts. “Full Tilt Poker allowed players to gamble with—and lose to other players—this phantom money that Full Tilt Poker never actually collected or possessed,” the DOJ said in a memo. Messrs Lederer, Ferguson and Furst were not included in the original April 15 indictment against the founders of Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker. Those three sites were accused of bank fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling offenses and violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. All three stopped taking American players shortly after the indictment. Repaying players has been a totally different matter. PokerStars has paid more than $120 million to American players, and has had no significant delays in paying its international customer base. Full Tilt and Absolute Poker, meanwhile, still owe their players millions of dollars. The amended complaint claims that Mr Lederer personally received $42 million in company funds, while Mr Ferguson was allocated over $85 million in distributions, but only received about VIRIDIAN™ Hybrid™ games