More Troubles for Grey Snow Poker and Monster
A person seeking a poker site online may come across GreySnowPoker.com and see a viable option. Though the site’s home page notes that residents of the United States are not permitted to play for cash at this time, visitors will see an attractive software platform with a deposit bonus, daily tournaments, and references to a fair, balanced game.
“GreySnowPoker is the newest kid on the block for online poker,” the home page reads, “and the first real money Native American poker site to be granted an Isle of Man Gaming License. We’re not the biggest – and that’s our strength. We give you poker how it should be played; simplified and stripped back.”
While the site clearly did not hire someone with an English degree to write for site, the message is clear. There are options to download or play instantly, learn and practice the game of poker, and support the “rights of all North America’s indigenous peoples” by supporting the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma and its Grey Snow Poker site.
Behind the well-constructed virtual pages of the online poker site, however, the chaos that has plagued the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma since its conception remains.
A Monster company press release says Khalilian was removed late July among "allegations of fraud, theft & conspiracy" https://t.co/xIEsD4LeJ4
— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) September 25, 2018
Who is Fred Khalilian?
The trials and tribulations of Grey Snow Poker date back many years but specifically to 2015 when the site was called Poker Tribe. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma had gone to the US District Court to obtain the right to launch an online poker site that would cater to players in regulated states in America as well as possibly to airline and cruise ship passengers. The tribe won its case against the Oklahoma Gambling Compliance Unit and proceeded to launch its site in August 2016.
More than one year later, the Iowa Tribe finally obtained a gambling license from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, though there were stipulations regarding steps to be taken in advance of the site’s launch.
The tribe had partnered with a company called Universal Entertainment Group (UEG) for some new software. Fred Khalilian was the owner of UEG at the time, and he orchestrated a partnership between UEG and Monster Technology Group that put Khalilian in the position of Chief Operating Officer. Monster was the new owner of the entire online poker venture and its assets, for which it paid an undisclosed sum.
As the Iowa Tribe continued to pursue its site launch, Khalilian was the focus of a lawsuit by the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes that first paid Khalilian for online poker software. Khalilian had also been accused of a number of business scams and personal assault-related crimes. His reputation was not one of respect in the business or gambling communities, but the Iowa Tribe never made a public effort to disavow Khalilian’s image or actions.
Khalilian Fired
This week, Monster issued a press release regarding a reinvention of its brand. And as a part of the changes in motion, founder and CEO Noel Lee announced a restructuring beginning with “the exit of toxic members of its management team.”
https://twitter.com/CalvinAyreNews/status/1044980257298804736
The press release went into some detail about Khalilian:
“Fereidoun Khalilian (also know (sic) as Fred Khalilian and Prince Fred) and the team he brought into the company to do a hostile takeover, has been successfully exited out of the company as of July 27, 2018. A temporary restraining order has been issued against the former executive for the protection of numerous employees of Monster against threats of mutilation, death, and threats to family, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo. A police report was also filed with the South San Francisco Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, against Mr. Khalilian containing allegations of fraud, theft & conspiracy.”
Numerous links were then provided to past news stories – some dating back more than 10 years – about the nefarious nature of Khalilian’s dealings and crimes.
Unknown Future for Grey Snow Poker
Years after the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma set out to launch an online poker site, it now boasts of a reasonable-looking site called Grey Snow Poker, but there is no poker online to be found. There are no players or real-money games.
The “about us” page of the site boasts of an old blurb about how the Grey Snow name was chosen and how the site aims to be different from all others. The “careers” page seems to be seeking a head of QA, full-stack developer, and customer service representative.
There is also a blog now attached to the site, with its first post dated July 23, 2018. It describes the site and its intentions, along with some words alluding to mistakes made, such as “bad choice of website name, wrong software, among others.” But now the staff of three people claims to have turned a corner. “The future is looking bright!” it read. “We’re still only small but we’re growing week by week and the more smarts we bring onboard, the more we’ll pass on this positivity to you, the player.”
Even so, it seems what is needed most from Grey Snow Poker is transparency.