KGC Finds Russ Hamilton Responsible for Ultimate Bet Scandal

[redeyed]

On Tuesday, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) posted a press release on its website outlining the sanctions that the organization has imposed against one of its licensees, Ultimate Bet. In addition, the report pointed at Russ Hamilton as the “main person responsible” for the scandal. Hamilton’s Las Vegas home was linked to one of the accounts involved in the actions on Ultimate Bet, “Sleeplesss,” back in July.

TheKGC report was publicly released on Tuesday and states, “The Commission found clear and convincing evidence to support the conclusion that between the approximate dates of May of 2004 to January 2008, Russell Hamilton, an individual associated with Ultimate Bet’s affiliate program, was the main person responsible for and benefiting from the multiple cheating incidents.”

Followingthe positive linkage from the Sleeplesss account to a home owned by Hamilton in Las Vegas, poker pros Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok sat down with Hamilton after his lawyers advised him not to appear on the PokerRoad Podcast. Greenstein stated that he came away from the interview feeling as if, when the final report was released, Hamilton’s name would be cleared. The KGC’s findings also hint at other parties being involved: “The KGC is currently in contact with the appropriate law enforcement agencies and intends to fully cooperate in the prosecution of all individuals involved in the UB cheating incidents.” Who the other parties are remains to be seen.

Inaddition to confirming that Russ Hamilton was the main person behind the scandal at Ultimate Bet, the following actions were taken:
1. ByNovember 3rd, UB “shall commence refunding all players accounts found to have been adversely affected by the cheating.” The report states that, to date, the online poker site has refunded $6.1 million in money to its players.
2. ByNovember 3rd, UB “is to remove any and all persons deemed as ‘unsuitable’ by the KGC.” This could include any employee in the company. In addition, gaming and operational records must be turned over to Frank Catania, who is leading the KGC’s investigation.
3. UltimateBet must keep all “web logs and game logs” open for inspection by Catania’ s team.
4. UltimateBet has been assessed a $1.5 million fine “for its failure to implement and enforce measures to prohibit and detect fraudulent activities.”

More here:
http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/kgc-finds ... andal-445/
This post was written by:
Dan Cypra