Absolute Scandal

[TruePoker CEO]

This is a bad scandal. There was no reason for that sort of reported functionality to even exist on AP live games, let alone allow it to be exploited.

While I clearly would have business reasons to prefer not getting tarred with this brush, my argument AGAINST the proposed "spin" is based on a political reality not personal interest alone.

US poker players who want to play online need to face the backlash from this scandal, not join in a lynch mob.

A "spin" which emphasizes how "bad" things are offshore will bite you in the ass if you want to play over the next couple of years online.

The "cheating issue" is real and bad in this light. However, it should be "spun" as something a rogue programmer did, not a US v foreign spin. Otherwise, you WILL be playing into a theme which would seek to shut down ALL online poker for the US, and NOT only pending study.

The PPA should spin damage control, but not fan the flames for an outright ban. If you want to make it MORE difficult for US players to play online for 3 - 5 years, then "spin" this story as negatively as possible, along US v. foreign lines.

We run an honest business. We run it from offshore for our US players because we must. We would seek to obtain a "licensed" US imprimateur in a heartbeat if it were available, but it is not.

We are not going to become politically active in this fight precisely because it should be up to the US PLAYERS, what they want available to them.

We are going to continue with US players because we think the market should be served, not prohibited. We will provide poker services to those US players in legal markets who want to play at TruePoker.