RUMOURS ABOUND ON PROSPECTIVE FULL TILT POKER BUYER
Friday September 23, 2011 : And the AGCC may be pulling FTP's licence permanently
In the absence of full, public and efficient communications from either Full Tilt Poker or the Alderney Gaming Control Commission, rumour and speculation is increasing regarding the fate of the embattled company and the identity of the investor with whom it is apparently in serious talks.
The strongest, and as yet unconfirmed, speculation over numerous internet forums, media and information sites, is that the front-runner to purchase FTP, with letters of intent already signed – is Frenchman Laurent Tapie, son of Bernard Tapie.
Mediapart.fr reported that Bernard Tapie is a colourful businessman who has specialised in the recovery of bankrupted companies, having turned around a number of troubled enterprises that included sports apparel firm Adidas, and been involved with a top French football team.
There have also been unsubstantiated reports that the AGCC will shortly announce the permanent revocation of FTP’s licence following its extensive private hearing this week. This is despite earlier speculation that the jurisdiction would give the troubled online poker operator a 30 day extension in which to finalise negotiations with interested parties.
In Ireland, where FTP parent Pocket Kings is headquartered, Reuters reported that morale among the remaining employees in Dublin is low, with staffers complaining that there was no communication from management and that they spent much of their time trying to keep up to date on the issue – and their futures – via internet forums and media.
The report revealed that "employees are set to lose their jobs and many of them surf the web for clues about what will happen next."
Over in the United Kingdom, The Hendon Mob, which cut its ties with Full Tilt earlier this week advised that it had teamed up with another sponsor in the form of Genting Poker.
"In a deal struck over a meal at Soho’s Little Italy The Hendon Mob shook hands with the godfathers of Genting, securing the future of the Hendon Mob website and guaranteeing the boys all the pasta they can eat," the Mob's website advised.
Across the pond in the United States, Congressman Barney Frank, taking some Republican political hindsight flak for accepting campaign contributions from Full Tilt, told The Boston Herald that he is more than willing to put his "donations from Lederer, Furst and Ferguson into a special account and donate it to a fund for victims if the Justice Department sets one up….and if the defendants are found guilty."
