Update on Everleaf Poker US Payouts


Friday April 26,2013 : MALTA REGULATOR ISSUES UPDATE ON EVERLEAF POKER SITUATION
 
Surely marketing affiliates can be players as well?
 
US poker players left unpaid and stranded when the Everleaf Poker Network abruptly pulled out of the American market following a "cease and desist" order from enforcement authorities) are still in limbo as investigations continue by Malta regulator the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA).
 
On Thursday the regulator issued an update that included a comment that not all the complaints it has received were from "genuine players" but were from marketing affiliates (surely affys can be players too?)
 
The LGA statement notes that since the beginning of 2013 Everleaf has been under scrutiny due to slow payment of players. The regulator claims that its efforts have resulted in a number of players being paid, but complaints are still being lodged and media coverage continues.
 
Some complaints, the regulator claims, came from what it describes as "non-genuine players.” These were also investigated and found to originate from "affiliates disguising themselves as players."
 
"Notwithstanding, the LGA was and still is systematically contacting all players with genuine complaints to process their cases," the LGA advises, adding that as Everleaf is currently under investigation, it "…would not be prudent to disclose any further information at this stage."
 
Last year's assertion by the LGA that most Everleaf players had been paid was greeted with scepticism by many, with US punters complaining that the payment methods on offer were not practical or possible for US residents.
 
Since then reports of non-payment have continued to surface, an indication that not everyone shares the regulator's optimistic opinion on the state of Everleaf pay-outs.
 
Players have taken to forums and the social media in their frustration, and Everleaf, never a top-bracket network, has suffered as a consequence.
 
Even Everleaf skin operators have admitted that they are frustrated and unhappy with the pace of payments to players – sometimes taking as long as six months, according to some sources.
 
Many players already place a question mark over the will and capability of the LGA to protect them from non-compliant operators after disasters like the Purple Lounge failure, where the segregation of player funds did not appear to have been policed.
 
The risk for the LGA's reputation in the current Everleaf situation should be very clear, and the longer the enquiry – and making players whole again – drags on, the more damage will be done.