Orinic licence application withdrawn
Full Tilt Poker subsidiary had applied for licence in Alderney last month.
Orinic Ltd, the Swiss-facing subsidiary of Full Tilt Poker (FTP), has withdrawn its application for an egaming licence with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), according to a statement from the regulator.
The only one of four Full Tilt companies not to have its licence altogether revoked by the regulatory authority last September, Orinic had applied for a category 2 eGambling licence late last month.
A public hearing in advance of the AGCC’s consideration of the application had been scheduled for 3 May but will now no longer take place.
Groupe Bernard Tapie, the French company in talks concerning a potential takeover of FTP, revealed to eGaming Review yesterday that talks had broken down after an 11th-hour demand from the United States Department of Justice.
Behn Dayanim, lawyer for GBT, told eGR that the licence application, coupled with the company’s recruitment push in Dublin, demonstrated the organisation’s positivity about the deal until it eventually fell through.
“The plan was that we were going to try to have a new licence in Alderney under Orinic. That, along with the jobs advertised in Dublin, reflect the fact that we thought we were in position to move ahead with the process, but now we’re no longer involved in the process.”
Fellow operator PokerStars is believed to be in discussions with regards to a takeover of their own, although this is yet to be confirmed officially.
Dayanim said “Speculation is foolish – I cannot speculate on what the future may hold but as of now we’re not in the picture,” adding that he knew “nothing first-hand” about any movement on the part of PokerStars.
Fellow operator PokerStars is believed to be in discussions with regards to a takeover of its own, although this is yet to be confirmed officially.
Last night PokerStars director of corporate communications Eric Hollreiser posted on the operator’s corporate blog that “PokerStars is in settlement discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice. As such settlement discussions are always confidential, we are unable to comment on rumors.”
Dayanim also told eGR that the collapse of the deal between GBT and FTP has no bearing whatsoever on the International Stadiums Poker Tour, a separate venture headed up by GBT principal Laurent Tapie.