Russ Hamilton Named Largest Beneficiary in Ultimate Bet Cheating Scandal, 31 Others Remain Unnamed
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission today announced the release of its final decision in regard to the Ultimate Bet cheating scandal resulting in a $1.5 million fine as well as reimbursement of $22 million to affected Ultimate Bet players.
The KGC licenses and regulates gaming activities conducted within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake.
Today's decision also states that the actions taken by Ultimate Bet's parent company, Tokwiro, over the past 12 months have been sufficient to continue Tokwiro's licence to operate, subject to additional conditions.
The KGC's investigation found 117 user names held by 23 accounts. Although identifying and confirming names associated with those accounts was said to have been a challenge, the KGC said that "much of the relevant data resided in a legacy database which contained limited historical logs, and which had not been operational since at least February 2006 - prior to Tokwiro acquiring its interest in the site."
According to the KGC's ruling, "The vast majority of the computer devices and IP addresses used by the cheating accounts were directly associated with Russell Hamilton. The vast majority of the cheating accounts transferred money through Russell Hamilton's player accounts."
Although Hamilton was seen to have gained the most, the KGC concluded that 31 other individuals were associated with the criminal behavior. Those names were not released.
The KGC said that while it is a regulatory body not mandated to assess criminal culpability, "based on the information it obtained during the course of its investigations into this matter, and after consulting with its legal advisors, the Commission formed the opinion that the cheating incidences detailed herein could constitute criminal behaviour. Accordingly, the Commission alerted and is fully cooperating with the appropriate law enforcement agencies to take the appropriate actions".
PokerNews will continue to bring you the latest developments on this story, as well as reactions from the industry and executives at Tokwiro.
The ruling can be read in its entirety at Kahnawake.com/GamingCommission. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for up to the minute developments.
