- Over a thousand posts have now been made in the FTP Remission Issues thread on 2+2.
- A wide range of issues have been reported including definitions of affiliates, dates of balances and the accuracy of balances following the chaos of FTP’s final days.
- The GCG has not yet responded with definitive answers to many of the issues.
- Deadline for Petition for Remission submission is Saturday, November 16, 2013.
Over a thousand posts containing problems, questions and help from fellow players have now been made in the FTP Remission Issues thread on 2+2. Many of the problems have arisen as a result of the chaotic financial practices employed during Full Tilt’s final days of operation.
Claims Emails
All affected players should have received an email from claims administrator the Garden City Group (GCG). All emails were due to be sent by September 20, but many players report not yet receiving any communication.
The emails contain a Petition Number and a Control Number which, together with an identity verification component (name, player ID or zip code), allows victims to log in to their GCG account.
Players who believe that they are owed money, but have not received an email, can still file a petition via the FTP remission site.
Who Can Claim
A DOJ reference document linked to by GCG in its FAQs section identifies eligible claimants in legal terms: “The victim did not knowingly contribute to, participate in, benefit from, or act in a willfully blind manner towards the commission of the offense, or related offense, that was the underlying basis of the forfeiture.”
A number of players have expressed concerns about how this definition will be applied. For example, “refer a friend” bonuses were paid by Full Tilt and many players received rakeback payments through affiliate sites.
To complicate matters further, many players also received regular payments of a share of rakeback generated by referring new Full Tilt players to the rakeback site.
It appears that such players are safe: several in this situation have reported receiving their emails and being able to file the online petition. However, there has been no statement from GCG about how such players will be treated.
Those accounts deemed to be part of an “affiliate” agreement with FTP are not eligible for the remission process. However, there has been no confirmation from GCG that affiliate status is the reason for individual account holders not receiving the Petition and Control Number via email.
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
The GCG has asked all petitioners to provide a TIN or Employer Identification Number (EIN) or a social security number. This is a DOJ requirement so that the Treasury can check whether applicants have any outstanding debts to the US Government which can be deducted from the claims.
Does Applying Constitute Evidence of a Federal Offense?
Some concerns have been expressed that filing a claim could constitute a legally binding admission that the claimant has played online poker and therefore is guilty of an offense.
The DOJ is not legally allowed to compensate criminals for damages sustained during the commission of their crimes. In permitting the claims process to go ahead, it is acknowledging that the Full Tilt claimants were victims and not guilty of any illegal acts.
Unprocessed Deposits and Withdrawals
Many players made deposits or withdrawals during the final few days of Full Tilt’s existence, using a variety of methods—and many of these failed to be recorded by the accounting system. Checks “bounced,” and conversely refused deposits were credited to player accounts.
So far there have been no resolutions to these issues. Players who wish to dispute their balance can do so via the claims site and can upload documents to support their dispute. What documents will be deemed acceptable has not been determined. As there is appears to be only one opportunity to present evidence of the dispute, players using this method should seek advice and/or provide comprehensive information.
Balance Dates
Full Tilt tables remained open after Black Friday, so balances changed with winnings and losses at the tables. In spite of GCG’s statement that balances to be repaid would be those in effect at that date, several players have reported that their account balances shown include winnings from play after April 15, 2011.
Qualifying Deposit
GCG asserts that claimants must have made a deposit to Full Tilt in order to qualify for balance repayment. It seems probable that there are a number of players who used freerolls to build significant bankrolls, following Chris “Jesus” Ferguson’s example. Ferguson built a $100k bankroll starting from freeroll entries, as a promotion to show what was possible.
Other players may have had their accounts funded by player-to-player transfers. GCG has not clarified whether such players can reclaim their balances.
Deadline for Submissions
The deadline to submit a “Petition for Remission” is Saturday, November 16, 2013.
