Full Tilt faces fraud, libel, slander lawsuit after 'bots' row
Full Tilt has been hit with a lawsuit from two of its customers, who accuse it of being run from within the US and using robots to control games and boost revenues, as well as levelling charges of fraud, libel, slander and false advertising.
FULL TILT HAS been hit with a lawsuit from two of its customers, who accuse it of being run from within the US and using robots to control games and boost revenues.
Lary Kennedy and Greg Omotoy filed the suit against Full Tilt Poker and members of the Team Full Tilt poker professionals group including Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Gus Hansen and Phil Ivey after the company confiscated US$80,000 from the two customers’ Full Tilt accounts, believing they were being operated by ‘bots’, or poker-playing machines.
As well as seeking damages for the seized funds, the lawsuit, seen by EGRmagazine.com, also levels accusations of fraud, libel, slander, false advertising, and racketeering against the poker room.
In the suit, filed last Thursday at the Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles, Kennedy and Otomy’s representation explains that Full Tilt originally comprised of two companies, Tiltware and Vert Enterprises.
Contrary to Full Tilt’s assertion that the two entities were separate and operated out of California and the Caribbean island state of St Kitts and Nevis respectively, the suit claims the companies were run as one entity, with Vert Enterprises operating out of an office in Los Angeles for more than years.
The suit also accuses Ferguson and fellow Full Tilt founder Andy Bloch of creating bots to fill out slow cash game tables on the site and to boost the revenues of the company by consistently beating unskilled or moderately skilled players.
Kennedy and Otomy’s suit suggests the use of bots, combined with Full Tilt pros staking the company’s money rather than their own in cash games means Full Tilt has been operating as an online casino rather than a cardroom. This puts the company in violation of Californian and other state laws deeming the unlicensed operation of a casino involving the making or paying out wagers illegal.
The complaint also accuses Full Tilt of offences under the Racketeer-Influenced Corrupt Organization Act (RICO).
Full Tilt has yet to respond to any of the charges. The company was not available to comment at the time of writing.
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