The first step in the Full Tilt remission process is complete, according to the government appointed claims administrator, Garden City Group.
The company released an updated statement on the official remission web site, fulltiltpokerclaims.com, late last week, noting that all players in their system should have received email contact.
Email was first step; mail notification also will happen
Working from data provided from Full Tilt's player records, the Garden City Group says that it has sent out emails to all the eligible addresses on file.
GCG noted that it sent out 1.4 million emails to U.S.-based Full Tilt account holders, whose funds were frozen on the site nearly two and a half years ago when the government cracked down on unregulated real-money online poker in the United States.
New Jersey-based Garden City Group acknowledged that some players, for whatever reason, might not have received an email.
GCG addressed that particular situation with a statement on the claims site the read in part, "The email notification process is now complete. If you did not receive an email and you believe you are in Full Tilt's database and should have been identified as a potentially eligible player, please contact us to provide your updated email address and we will provide you with your Petition and Control numbers if you have been assigned them."
Remarking that they also have access to a small number of players' physical addresses, Garden City Group said they will also notify those people via a postcard sent by mail.
Players who believe they have a claim yet have received no contact are free to visit the above claims site to register. Claims submitted directly to the web site will be given the same consideration as other remission applications, the GCG says.
Ineligibility of certain groups ruffled a few feathers
As we reported last month, most players who had funds on Full Tilt when it was seized by the United States Justice Department on April 15, 2011, the date that will forever be known in the world of online poker as Black Friday, were overjoyed to learn that the refund process was finally getting started after what was to many a very long wait.
A small group, however, was not so happy to find out that certain account holders, namely those closely associated with the operation of Full Tilt, would not be eligible to recover the value of their accounts. Such excluded parties include affiliates, pros, employees, and others tied to the business of the room.
Will Full Tilt ever return to the U.S.?
With regulated Internet gambling now a reality in the United States, with three states having passed laws to allow for online wagering, some wonder if Full Tilt, once a highly tarnished brand, can ever make a comeback in America.
Though it is not yet licensed by regulators, PokerStars, the now-owner of Full Tilt, is poised to re-enter the U.S. online gambling market via a partnership deal with Atlantic City's Resorts, the city's oldest land-based casino. As it is generally understood that PokerStars wishes to remain a poker-only brand, there are some who see a future for Full Tilt in the U.S. should PokerStars ultimately decide it wishes to expand into the online casino sector under the umbrella of Full Tilt.
In New Jersey, where PokerStars has its most immediate shot at licensing success, a variety of online wagering options will be open to residents and visitors when regulated online gambling gets underway in late November.
