Kahnawake issues note on Absolute Poker
Operator's parent company Blanca Games no longer regulated by the Canada-based gaming commission.
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) has issued a statement on Absolute Poker parent company Blanca Games, clarifying that it is no longer licensed in the jurisdiction.
It notes that Blanca “ which also owned fellow Kahnawake licensee and fellow Cereus network site Ultimate Bet “ did not renew its client provider authorisation after it expired on 2 June.
Last week saw the United States Department of Justice file a motion requesting that the court “Enter a settlement agreement reached with Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet that requires the company to forfeit all of its assets (the “Absolute Assets”) in order to fully resolve this action.”
This development, which was overshadowed by PokerStars’ settlement with the DoJ on the same day, also called for the US government to “Be permitted to liquidate the Absolute Assets, with the net proceeds of that sale to be held pending the resolution of claims filed by other parties who have asserted an ownership interest in the Absolute Assets.”
The KGC confirmed that the US Attorney “Now seeks court approval of the settlement,” adding that if there are Blanca assets remaining after the resolution of the claims by other parties, it is anticipated that the court will provide a process for players to make claims against those assets.”
The Cereus network saw its US-facing operations shut down on Black Friday, at which time Absolute Poker co-founder Scott Tom and director of payments Brent Beckley were indicted, and has been essentially dormant worldwide for several months.
Beckley was the first of the six indicted poker site executives to enter a guilty plea in December last year, and last month he was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Two further indictees, John Campos and Ira Rubin, have been given three months and three years respectively.
Meanwhile Full Tilt Poker principals Ray Bitar and Nelson Burtnick have both pleaded not guilty after returning to the US in July to surrender to authorities. A superseding indictment was brought against Bitar and Burtnick upon the former’s return.