Amidst Problems With Online Gambling, Full Tilt Faces Lawsuit

Gambling News - October 6th, 2009 - Written by Glen

On the dawn of October, two poker pros were kicked from Full Tilt Poker and faced a confiscation of funds worth $80,000 dollars. Lary Kennedy and Greg Omotoy opened an account, amassed the $80,000 dollars of winnings, then lost it all - under allegations from Full Tilt that they were using "bots" to win the money, rather than their own skill and expertise.

As irony is quite possibly the guiding force on which life, the universe, and everything is based, Kennedy and Omotoy filed a claim that Full Tilt was in fact the piece of the puzzle that had been operating bots. The Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles has picked up the case, and famed site Pokerati.com has even managed to pick up the text of the suit.

In any computer game, a "bot" is essentially a robot - an automated machine or program designed and programmed to play in the place of a human. The most famous of these bots is, without a doubt, "Deep Blue," a chess playing machine that bested the reigning Chess World Champion in 1997, Garry Kasparov. These machines are either designed to test a human versus a machine, but they are also made for making money, as the bot could tirelessly perform calculations pertaining to the mathematics behind a game, in this case poker.

Kennedy and and Omotoy have filed a suit against Full Tilt Poker as an organization, as well as many of the individuals that make up the ownership of the company. Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, John Juanda, and several of the other professionals behind Full Tilt are all listed as defendants on the docket, as provided by Pokerati. The complaint filed is for Fraud, relief under the RICO Acts, unjust enrichment, libel, slander, and a certain California Business code.

The plaintiffs allege that Ferguson and Bloch, graduates of UCLA and MIT respectively, took part in the coding, creation, and use of Poker Bots to fill out tables and increase revenues. The use of bots is strictly prohibited by Full Tilts terms of service, which has caused bans to take place, and now a lawsuit to target the site it self.

The plaintiffs are seeking restitution for the damages incurred through each of the six Causes of Action. Monetary, non-monetary, and punitive remedies are being sought, with over $25,000 dollars in damages being claimed on the suit. In addition to payment for damages, the duo also wants Full Tilt to pay all costs associated with the court hearings and trial.

With the UIGEA on the horizon, lawmakers constantly battling to keep online gambling suppressed, as well as the special interest groups fighting for the same agenda, online gambling organizations can not afford to take the brunt of litigation. Full Tilt has been involved in multiple lawsuits over the years, and each one damages the push for regulated online gambling. While it is likely these sites will continue to operate, each time an online gambling site is accused of a possible bout of moral uncertainty, the odds shift in favor of the anti-gambling groups. The story of Kennedy & Omotoy v. Full Tilt et al. is just beginning to unfold, and the trial could send the results in either direction. Follow the story here at USAPlayers.com

Source: Pokerati.com

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