Full Tilt Players To Receive $82m Refund Within Weeks

Back in 2011, Full Tilt Poker customers in the States had their funds frozen after the US Department of Justice invoked the UIGEA, thus bringing to a halt a thriving online poker industry. By July 2012, $184 million was returned to non-US customers of Full Tilt, but almost three years later US players are still waiting for more than $150 million to be refunded.
Today, however, US Full Tilt Poker players are apparently just a few weeks away from being reunited with their frozen funds, as the DoJ has already approved about 30,000 undisputed claims totaling around $82 million. This is well in advance of the March 31, 2014 target date set for undisputed claims, and as Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas, wrote in a statement on the Two Plus Two forum:
“Players with undisputed claims should be looking for an e-mail from Garden City Group [the administrator for claims in the Full Tilt case] within the next few weeks with instructions on how to receive their payment. The onus is now on GCG to remit the funds to players. I don’t know their payment process and it very well could be days, not weeks.”
Nevertheless, a small number of those non disputed claims were apparently filed incorrectly and so those players should receive an e-mail soon outlining how to rectify the mistakes.
Despite the good news for uncontested claims, those players whose claims did not tally with account balances held on record by the DoJ will have to continue waiting, as will reimbursement for affiliates and Full Tilt ‘Red Pros’.
“Affiliates and pros are still unresolved. The DoJ and Garden City are working on this very diligently and I trust they will be sharing news with this affected class of players soon.”
Finally, although the deadline for filing was November 16th, 2013, the Garden City Group announced that they will keep on receiving petitions, but warned there is no guarantee that such late-filed Petitions will be accepted.