05/07/2011, Online poker

Last week, Full Tilt Poker saw its licence suspended by the Alderney Gaming Control Commission.

After having its licence suspended, the online poker room is now facing a class-action lawsuit from a group of angry players affected by the Full Tilt crisis. Nick Hammer, Steve Segal, Tod Terry and Robin Hougdahl have sued the online poker website for failure to pay out funds to its US players. The plaintiffs mentioned they were acting “on behalf of themselves and all other similarly situated” and that they want their funds back and Full Tilt Poker to compensate damages to US players.

The Plaintiffs “represent a nation-wide class of Full Tilt account holders residing in the United States . . . Plaintiffs bring suit to demand return of U.S. player funds and for damages . . . U.S. Players’ would never have suffered injury, but for the Defendants’ widespread scheme to commit wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in order to pad their own pockets.”

The complaint was filled against the following names associated with Full Tilt online poker room: Raymond Bitar, Nelson Burtnick, Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Gus Hansen and Patrick Antonius. Raymond Bitar and Nelson Burtnick, who are the founders of Full Tilt Poker, were also indicted in the Black Friday crackdown, which took place in April.

Phil Ivey, one of the defendants, dropped his lawsuit against Full Tilt Poker last week. According to Ivey's lawyer David Chesnoff, the poker pro dropped his lawsuit because he believed that “Full Tilt is taking steps to see that players are paid”. The player's decision follows his recent trip to Ireland, where he met with FTP principals.