No date set for Tilt show resumption
Poker Lounge producer admits production company is still waiting for updates from Full Tilt.
The producer of Full Tilt-sponsored television show The Poker Lounge has revealed to eGaming Review no date has been set for filming to resume and that it has yet to hear from the US-indicted operator.
Following the initial postponement of filming in the immediate aftermath of Black Friday on April 15 it was expected that Presentable Productions and Full Tilt would return to the company’s Cardiff-based studio this month, however producer Rob Thomas explained the timing of this year’s World Series of Poker has cast doubt over scheduling, with Presentable unsure when players will be released by Full Tilt to take part in the show, set to be broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 in July.
“The current situation is we don’t know [when filming will resume]; we are just waiting to hear from Full Tilt at the moment,” said Thomas.
“In theory there is no need to panic when it comes to filming, although if it drags on for a long time then a decision will have to be made by Channel 4. We have filmed the first three episodes already, which takes us into August, so in theory we can wait until after the World Series of Poker is over before we resume filming.”
The repercussions of Black Friday have already been felt when it comes to American television companies, something which Gary Wise explained in his blog for eGaming Review in April.
Fox Sports has already moved to cancel broadcasts of The Big Game and Million Dollar Challenge, although yesterday saw ESPN announce plans to double its World Series coverage.
Meanwhile, Full Tilt issued a statement yesterday regarding the conversion of tournament tickets to cash, but the site has delayed a further announcement regarding the return of US players’ funds until next week.
The statement “ sent out by a Full Tilt representative to the Two Plus Two poker community “ explained that tournament dollars and tournament tickets “will be converted to real money on a 1:1 basis,” while “All pending rakeback/Cash Back payments will be completed.”
The representative also provided details on pending promotions, but clarified that a decision is yet to be reached on frequent player points. Full Tilt is still yet to join Pokerstars in releasing US players’ funds, although withdrawals are permitted for non-American players.
In the United States, federal prosecutors have moved to seize homes connected to two Black Friday indictees, including Full Tilt founder Ray Bitar and payment processor Chad Elie according to reports in Forbes. Five properties have been seized, four of them connected to Bitar and a fifth owned by Destiny Davis, Elie’s wife.