PokerStars Triumphs But What Now For Full Tilt Customers?

Yesterday, the news that PokerStars had settled its outstanding lawsuit with the US Department of Justice for $713 million was received with great excitement by the poker community. In addition to having the charges it faced dropped, PokerStars also acquired the assets of Full Tilt Poker in the bargain which seems a pretty good deal considering the poker site originally faced a potential bill of $1.5 billion for violating the UIGEA. At the same time, the DoJ was also seeking a further $1 billion payout from Full Tilt Poker.
When all the dust has settled, PokerStars obviously comes out of this the biggest winner with their virtual monopoly on the poker market consolidated by acquiring their former nearest rival. PokerStars is now aiming to re-launch Full Tilt within a 90 day period and it is believed players will be able to transfer funds between their accounts on the two sites, effectively doubling the number of cash and tournament tables available to its customers.
Full Tilt Poker customers will obviously be relieved to see their funds returned after 15 months of uncertainty, with Rest of The World players probably slightly happier than American players who will have to apply through the DoJ for their funds, while facing potential tax liabilities. However, this is not at all yet certain as, according to Executive Director of the PPA John Pappas, this would be inconsistent considering the government previously allowed PokerStars to return its U.S. customers’ deposits following Black Friday.
Still many players with money stuck on Full Tilt Poker, such as poker pro Lee Goldman, will be glad to know they will be reunited with at least some of their bankrolls, although the precise details are yet to be known. As Lee Goldman comments:
“I had a substantial six figure sum on Full Tilt and it just so happened that was where most of my money was kept at the time. We’ll have to see how cumbersome the process is, but at the moment, it’s going to be a real shock to everybody if we all get paid 100 percent by the DOJ.”