Full Tilt Poker Hearing Ends In Farce

The long awaited hearing in which Full Tilt Poker was to discover whether the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) would restore its gaming licence has ended before it even got going.
The promise of a public hearing had media, interested parties and onlookers turning out in their droves today at the Park Plaza Victoria Hotel, London.
Nevertheless, despite the large turnout there wasn’t much for them to report on because soon after getting underway, lawyers for Full Tilt Poker requested that the open hearing be closed so as not to divulge “confidential information that would impede further negotiations with the [Unnamed European] investor group”.
After half an hours deliberation, the three AGCC commissioners finally agreed to hold in private the pre-application to delay the hearing, leading to uproar and scenes of farce amongst the gathered crowd. However, it is understood the commissioners are also considering granting ‘the respondents’ case be heard in camera in the interest of justice and fairness.”
Before the hearing recessed, there was a brief moment of bemused laughter from spectators as Full Tilt was asked why they hadn’t even paid the £250,000 licence fee to the AGCC, to which the lawyer replied because their license had been suspended and “why spend £250,000 for licences that no longer exist?…Those fees will be paid [if the application is accepted] within seven days.”
This has also lead to speculation that the AGCC’s primary objective in calling the hearing was to retrieve its licensing fee from Full Tilt Poker, and not discuss returning players’ funds. Summing up the feelings of the gathered crowd, Gambling911 Senior Editor Payton O’Brien exclaimed:
“Surprise, surprise. It is sad to say that our expectations of what was going to occur at today’s ‘hearing’ have pretty much been met and we would expect nothing less from Full Tilt Poker, a company that has basically disgraced the online poker industry.”