GR88.com Exposed

[Fonzi]

It has come to our attention that a member of GR88 Poker's marketing team is emailing players directly asking them to join the GR88 card room. This person (Colin Anderson) was formerly on the staff at a couple of Merge Gaming Poker sites. After some investigating we've determined that he mostly likely gained access to these player e-mail addresses by taking them from his former employers mailing lists.

If this is the case then he is using proprietary information to directly damage the income and player base of his former employers. There are, of course, legal issues with this for the poker rooms involved. What disturbs us as affiliates is that we are having our player base undermined by this tactic as well with no way to get restitution.

We have removed any promotion or link to GR88 from our sites. We feel that GR88 broke the trust with players and affiliates by allowing this practice. We feel that any online poker site that has to use such dirty tactics to attract players is not worthy of being in any way associated with Holdem Poker Chat or it's members.

We have notified Merge Gaming of the actions taken by GR88.com and they have promised us that they are launching a full investigation and will take the appropriate steps to put an end to the use of the tactics being employed by GR88.com. We are also considering to file a spam claim against GR88 under the Can-Spam Act as these emails are being sent unsolicited.

[UnknownFlush]

I guess I shouldn't trusted them either

[NELLOB]

Thanks for the heads up re GR88, very much appreciated. Now I am sure to not install it. I hadn't yet because it's my policy to wait a fair amount of time before I install new sites. They seem to pop-up almost every day and I don't care to see so many new sites. Glad I waited and have read your comments. Thanks again for looking after our interests, nice to see that some people do care.

[villaridge]

"From: OnTiltRadio <mail@ontiltradio.ning.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 3:14 PM
Subject: GR88 Being Investigated
To: "pete.rothe@gmail.com" <pete.rothe@gmail.com>


OnTiltRadio
A message to all members of OnTiltRadio

We have been investigating an issue for the past 2 weeks that a member of GR88 Poker's marketing team is emailing our players directly asking them to join the GR88 card room.
This person (Colin Anderson) was formerly on the staff at Iron Duke Poker and
Reefer Poker on the Merge Gaming Network. After some in depth investigating we've
determined that he gained access to these players database and stole e-mail
addresses by taking them from Iron Duke and Reefer Poker. This is a very serious
matter and we here at OnTiltRadio will NOT in any way tolerate our players being
spammed from another site.

Therefor we have removed any and all promotions or links to GR88 Poker Site from OTR. We feel that GR88 broke the
trust with players and affiliates by allowing this. OTR feels that if an online
poker site that has to use such shady tactics to attract players, they are not
worthy of being in any way associated with OnTiltRadio and it's
members.

We have notified Merge Gaming and the Skins that OTR does in fact Promote, and they have promised us that they are launching a full
investigation and will take the appropriate actions to put an end to the use of
these shady tactics by GR88.com. We are also considering to file a spam claim
against GR88 under the Can-Spam Act as these emails are being sent
unsolicited.


Thank You,



SSexy & Colo"

ROFLMAO. so are you and ONTILTRADIO together on this invesatigation, or is this just an example of how everyone uses some one elses content?

[Fonzi]

That is stolen content from Holdem Poker Chat as we're the first ones to break this story and it's very very wrong. In a way they're doing exactly what I'm fighting against, people taking other peoples things. Is there no end?

[gypsyangel]

Thanks for letting us know...I have passed this info to the admin at my forum. Hopefully we can get the word out to everyone and stop things like this from happening. I was almost ready to download Gr88! Im glad I didn't...I have more than enough merge sites and don't need to add anymore suspicious poker rooms to my puter. :no:

[targetguy1]

Originally Posted by villaridge

"From: OnTiltRadio <mail@ontiltradio.ning.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 3:14 PM
Subject: GR88 Being Investigated
To: "pete.rothe@gmail.com" <pete.rothe@gmail.com>


OnTiltRadio
A message to all members of OnTiltRadio

We have been investigating an issue for the past 2 weeks that a member of GR88 Poker's marketing team is emailing our players directly asking them to join the GR88 card room.
This person (Colin Anderson) was formerly on the staff at Iron Duke Poker and
Reefer Poker on the Merge Gaming Network. After some in depth investigating we've
determined that he gained access to these players database and stole e-mail
addresses by taking them from Iron Duke and Reefer Poker. This is a very serious
matter and we here at OnTiltRadio will NOT in any way tolerate our players being
spammed from another site.

Therefor we have removed any and all promotions or links to GR88 Poker Site from OTR. We feel that GR88 broke the
trust with players and affiliates by allowing this. OTR feels that if an online
poker site that has to use such shady tactics to attract players, they are not
worthy of being in any way associated with OnTiltRadio and it's
members.

We have notified Merge Gaming and the Skins that OTR does in fact Promote, and they have promised us that they are launching a full
investigation and will take the appropriate actions to put an end to the use of
these shady tactics by GR88.com. We are also considering to file a spam claim
against GR88 under the Can-Spam Act as these emails are being sent
unsolicited.


Thank You,



SSexy & Colo"

ROFLMAO. so are you and ONTILTRADIO together on this invesatigation, or is this just an example of how everyone uses some one elses content?

its very obv that Fonzi and his HPC crew was the first to break the story. Fonzi posted this story 10 am this morning. u didnt get that email until 5 hours later. them sending this email out and taking credit for the whole investigation is such bs. i laught at them reporting on this but are doign the same thing. i mean thats like a hooker calling some girl a whore?

[shamanalix]

Keep fighting 'em Fonzi -- and turn your gun on the OTR thieves too. Not that things like "right" and "fair" usually carry any weight with folks like them.

And on retrospect, I thought I was getting the letter from Colin (whom I've known and played against at other sites) as a reaction to my joining GR88. But the mail wasn't to my address on record with GR88, I'm now thinking.

Then again, who's to say Reefer or other Merge sites didn't voluntarily share their lists with their "departing employee" (my quotemarks)? It's always seemed a bit ... cliquey ... how new sites pop up with old familiar faces and ties -- VP247, Reefer, Feltstars, GR88 ... I know there are gaps and other examples, and chumminess can also be found in some forum and network cross-breeding and relationships. It's just all extremely eyebrow-raising to me.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by targetguy1

its very obv that Fonzi and his HPC crew was the first to break the story. Fonzi posted this story 10 am this morning. u didnt get that email until 5 hours later. them sending this email out and taking credit for the whole investigation is such bs. i laught at them reporting on this but are doign the same thing. i mean thats like a hooker calling some girl a whore?

The email is also for 90% fonzi's newspost. They added a few extra words and a few times their own name to it and thats it.

[lkport]

Yeah, i went back and compared. Laughed my ass off. How is what they did different and more legal than what Colin did