Kahnawake Issues Final Report Regarding Ultimate Bet Online Poker Scandal

On Friday the Kahnawake Gaming Commission released its final conclusions in the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal. The online cheating scandal that was first uncovered in 2007, came on the heels of the Absolute Poker scandal (both sites share the same network, Cereus), and has left online poker, and the Cereus Network, with a permanent stain that will likely remain for years.

The report did not bring to light any new information in the case, and really only reiterates their previous findings. However, a few of the rumors that have surrounded the investigation have been confirmed or corrected in the new report.

In its 11-page report issued on September 11^th, the KGC made three important distinctions:

1. Russ Hamilton was named numerous times in the report, and was implicated as the ring-leader. In fact the report makes mention of 31 total individuals involved in the cheating, but only calls-out Russ Hamilton by name. Perhaps the harshest statement on Russ’s involvement is this: “As stated in the Commission’s September 29, 2008 public statement, the available evidence shows that Russell Hamilton, an individual previously associated with eWorld Holdings Group, was primarily responsible for and benefited from the multiple cheating incidences.”

1. The cheating began as early as June 2003 and lasted through 2007. This is absolutely remarkable to me. It took four years to fish out that a group of players were blatantly cheating the games, and without players making a huge fuss this would have gone on indefinitely! It really makes you wonder how difficult it would be to catch a more restrained group of cheaters who are winning at a more normal rate.

1. The KGC report found that $22 million was pilfered from players over that time period. This is the real eye-opener of the report; players were cheated out of $22 million in a 4-year period. In addition to making reparations to the affected players Ultimate Bet was also hit with a $1.5 million fine.

The report also stated that law enforcement has been contacted on the situation, but the report does not mention who the information was turned over to, or if there will be any criminal charges filed.

With the amount of times Russ Hamilton was named in the report –and certainty with which they accuse him– it would appear that he is guilty well beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence all points directly to Hamilton’s involvement in the cheating scandal. So, either Hamilton ran the most successful online poker scam in history, or he is the biggest patsy the poker world has ever seen.

Interestingly, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission was far more tight-lipped regarding the Absolute Poker cheating scandal, and has never revealed any names in connection with that scandal.

The entire report can be found on the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s official site.