- Almost $1.2 million money will be returned to players, the operator stated.
- In total, 80 players have been warned or banned as the company focuses on the use of real-time assistance.
- “Our Security Team is fully aware of the different ways that RTA is being used, and we want to emphasize that RTA is detectable.”
- Kruse allegedly referred to a “dream machine” that he used while playing cash game stakes up to $200/$400.
- RTA refers to the use of any tools, charts or any reference that advises the player how to act in certain situations.
- Systems that provide in-game advice in all but the most trivial of situations are blanket-banned at all online poker rooms.
- Partypoker and PokerStars have both increased transparency into efforts to police its games in the last two years.
Online poker network GGPoker has banned 40 accounts, and issued warnings to 40 more, during a sweeping investigation into the use of real-time assistance (RTA) at its online poker tables.
Of the 40 accounts banned, 13 had their funds confiscated, totaling $1.175 million. All this money has been returned to players impacted by those who used RTA.
To compare, partypoker has previously reported that it confiscated just under $1 million across all its networks over the entirety of 2019. PokerStars confiscated almost $2 million during the same period. In each case, thousands of accounts were involved.
In total, GGPoker compensated 4329 players impacted by the cheats, PRO has learned. This was returned to players over the weekend, with public posts on social media from players confirming they had received a cash reimbursement to their account.
Poker operator GGPoker has not stated under which scenario a player was warned, banned, or had money confiscated. PRO understands that the operator is not planning to publish such details, as the company feels it would reveal too much on how it detects cheaters.
“We have re-dedicated our efforts to combating RTA and have swiftly adopted enhanced RTA detection methods and improved our internal processes for handling these cheaters,” GGPoker wrote in a blog post published last Wednesday.
“Although there are public concerns that RTA is an imminent threat to the status quo in that it is undetectable, that is patently false,” the post goes on to say. “Our Security Team is fully aware of the different ways that RTA is being used, and we want to emphasize that RTA is detectable.”
At an average of over $90,000 per account, it suggests many of the 13 players were involved in high-stakes games. Notably, no players have yet come forward publicly to say they have been banned.
No players were named. A GGPoker source cited private concerns over this decision.
