Ultimate Bet Investigation Report Released by KGC
Earlier today, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) released a final report on their investigation into the cheating scandal involving Ultimate Bet (UB) and several online poker players. The story first broke in January of 2008, when complaints started filtering in about possible fraudulent activities taking place on Ultimate Bet’s tables. When it was discovered that all of the issues were with the same group of players, the KGC immediately launched an investigation into Ultimate Bet’s operations.
In the document released today, it was revealed that Tokowiro, UB’s owner, has refunded over $22 million to players affected by the illegal activities, as well as paid $1.5 million in fines to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to fund the investigation. Tokowire will also remain on a one-year probation period, during which time they must make all of their records completely available to the KGC.
As many in the online world expected, Russ Hamilton was the man responsible for the majority of the shady dealings, with nearly all of the IP addressed in question somehow connected to his name. Overall, there were 23 accounts, 117 usernames, and 31 other individuals (whose names were not released) used to scam money out of loyal Ultimate Bet players. All information has been passed on to law enforcement officials, who will now determine whether there is enough evidence to file criminal charges.
Although the whole situation has no doubt left a stain on Ultimate Bet’s reputation, the KGC’s Chairman had this to offer about moving forward:
Despite the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in this cheating, we are satisfied that the actions taken by the Commission provided an equitable result for affected players - our first priority. We remain optimistic that this experience and the lessons learned from it will result in a higher standard of gaming regulation for companies licensed and regulated within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and elsewhere.
The full text of the KGC’s report can be found here: www.kahnawake.com/gamingcommission
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Poker terminology:
- SMALL BLIND - In games with two blinds the first blind is the SMALL BLIND because it is usually one-half (or less) the second or large blind.
- OVERCALL - To call a bet after one or more players already called.
- FLOP GAME - Any of a number of poker games where a flop is dealt.
- FULL OF - Describes a full house. "Fives full of queens" is 5-5-5-Q-Q.
- ON THE COME - A situation where the player does not have a complete hand but hopes to make one if the right cards come up.
- TO GO - The current betting level, as in "$20 to go" meaning every player must contribute $20 (total) or drop. A $10 raise would then make the pot "$30 to go".
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