Tilt confirms Isle of Man licence

Full Tilt Poker now officially operates under an Isle of Man egaming licence, the operator has confirmed in a statement.

The statement, also distributed to players via email, confirms that “In the coming weeks we will be completing the restoration of all non-US player accounts…in preparation for re-launch day.”

When PokerStars agreed to acquire the assets of its former rival in July, it confirmed that it would be pursuing a licence in the same jurisdiction in which its flagship site operates, and it transported relevant computer hardware to the island from its previous base in Guernsey.

Full Tilt was previously licensed by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, however its licences were initially suspended in June 2011 before three of its four licences were revoked in September last year.

Its Isle of Man accreditation will see it offer online poker to players in dot.com markets, although PokerStars has confirmed that it will not be pursuing dot.country licences for the brand in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, France or Spain.

Repayment measures for players from each of these countries ““ with the exception of Italy ““ were outlined last month, while Rational FT Services Ltd (RFTS), Full Tilt’s technology, marketing and consulting company, has been hiring in a number of positions since early September.

Full Tilt has appointed Sarne Lightman, former PokerStars director of marketing Latam, as its marketing director, while former Team Full Tilt member Gus Hansen has been confirmed as the “face of the site.”

Meanwhile, the operator’s poker room manager Shyam Markus confirmed to the Two Plus Two poker community that its next FTOPS tournament series will begin on 2 December and run until the 16th of the same month. Markus also revealed that employees of Full Tilt or PokerStars will not be permitted to play on either of the sites.

A spokesperson from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.