This weekend I spent a few hours checking back and forth through Tweet statements and videos released by one and all and have come to a few interim conclusions.
First I want to credit Chris Kruk as getting the ball rolling with some damning statements back in December (rather than Chris Hunichen) who was backed by Bert Stevens concerning a variety of widespread online scams. A year before Henry Kilbane had also leveled a withering attack at Bryn Kenney...yet these guys could not get any traction other than in private where they were commended by other pros for speaking up. The industry itself did not appear to care. So, some thoughts.
GG Poker
One thing I’d appreciate is if the poker press (I use the term loosely) could be bothered enough to investigate who actually owns GG Poker. There was a phase of operation from 2014, which GG has attempted to scrub, then the phase from 2017 to date. In eight years no one seems to have gotten to the bottom of the ownership question even though it is the biggest on line platform. One presumes there has to be transparency regarding GG Poker applying for licensing in the North American...so why does the poker press look disinterested in the matter?
GG Poker as an operator
At this point GG Poker can hardly be looked at as an innocent – the idea is laughable. Kenney took advantage, but did so of a system GG either instituted or agreed to institute – a pyramid system of agents and their ‘agencies’. They recruited pros who in turn would lure other pros/players to play on GG in return for rake.
What make this expose so engaging is it comes as GG in patently making inroads to appear as completely legit and enter the North American market. It going to be interesting to see if licensing bodies with the US and
canada are paying attention to GG Poker’s dirty laundry or whether money talks and they will regard GG as freshly minted ‘legit’.
I pointed out many weeks ago GG had erased its origin story. Their current bio has them ‘founded’ some years later than they actually were and has no mention of promoting into Asia which they were doing exclusively. Early days they were operating in a grayer area than the likes of ACR have ever done. Quite how they got so much traction on a continent where poker is generally illegal is a mystery, but at this point I would assume that would also reveal multiple levels of dodgey.
The agent system was in play in Europe as well as the US with agents providing accounts to new members. These accounts/memberships circumvented any protocols in place regarding ID and compliance with restrictions imposed by gaming commissions such as the UK (GG poker is registered in the Isle of Man) let alone the legality of playing from the US. GG appears in it up to their eyeballs.
Those participating have described the set up as akin to another poker ‘skin’. In some cases agents had access to the balances and Bryn Kenney appears to have even had the ability to move funds around from one account to others. There have been accusations of Kenney also having ‘super user’ access but I think that far fetched. What has become clear is Bryn Kenney was not a partial owner and texts have been released where he is admitting to Zamani he is getting chopped from GG and is about to lose some $500,000, which sounds like a rake payment - certainly nowhere near the $2 million a week figure which was being touted.
However, this all appears part and parcel of how GG grew out of Asia into Europe and then grabbed a major slice of the US market whilst effectively hiding they were even operating Stateside.
Members who participated at GG under the ‘agents’.
The abuse Lauren Roberts suffered under Bryn Kenny was sickening. However, I had already asked how so many of these guys were playing on GG in the first place? Many had no legal entry to do so and using a VPN was the first questionable choice. Anyone engaging with GG via their ‘agents’ knew they were circumventing US law and (as above) protocols demanded by Euopean gaming commissions. They knew they were in a shady situation.
I am not saying ‘they had it coming’ but I would ask what were they thinking? After I registered with GG, I was verified, authorized to play. After a GG glitch I was de-verified. It took me over a week to resolve the matter. I had to resubmit everything a second time and then wait patiently. The matter was resolved amicably and I was twice offered profuse apologies from customer service. So I have direct experience with the protocols GG is
publicly demanding from each and every new player who registers.
However, Lauren Roberts has now admitted she was playing under dubious circumstances and Kristin Bicknell and Alex Foxen have also publicly outed themselves. Among those playing in the high roller games Cary Katz and also Justin Bonomo have been identified. Never one to let a scandal pass him by, Bill Perkins has now claimed he lost a million in these games as well. Lauren Roberts is seen to have played in a thousand such sessions - at peak degen, she bought into five $25k games in one day. Is anyone even bothering to pretend they were playing all these sessions form outside the US at this point?
Further, one has to ask where was the due diligence when the
wsop decided to partner up with GG to present their online tourneys during the World Series? I could ask the same of PokerGO and their cross promotions but that would not be serious question.
Daniel Negreanu
Naturally, many have chuckled as Daniel Negreanu, the ‘Face of GG’ has barely passed any comment on the GG fiasco as it has unveiled. As GG ambassador Negreanu has presented as though he brought GG to the fore under his own steam. For the past few years he has often used the term ‘we’ rather than ‘they’ when it comes to the implementation of policy and promotions at GG as though he was at the center of decision making. My opinion? Standard Daniel Negreanu self-puffery. But I have a bone to pick.
I don’t believe Negreanu is the type to have involved himself
on any level with the smutty ‘agents’ practices which peaked under Bryn Kenney. But when Negreanu joined GG there was overlap with Negreanu entering the GG front door and Kenney exiting the back door. In fact when GG announced they had banned tens of players for using RTA etc. the original GG Tweet laughingly still featured Bryn Kenney in the graphics, along with Negreanu, Fedor Holz, Felipe Ramos and Elky (Sept 2020).
So I would presume Negreanu knew there were all types of shenanigans and shady **** taking place at GG. He chose to turn a blind eye? I remember Negreanu discussing how high roller play had migrated to GG on the DAT podcast. He never asked who and how they were playing legally?
When Negreanu does come to discuss it - I am sure Adam Schwarz and Terrance Chan are not going to let the matter slide on the DAT podcast – I’ll predict Negreanu will assume the pose many a sponsored pro whose site has come under question have taken. ‘I know nothing. I am just a pitchman removed from the day to day operations. I am as shocked as you are’. He'll reposition from the center of anything GG.
(Edit – Adam Schwarz just joked via Tweet about the need to discuss matters but as he is suffering a second round of Covid, they skipped the last two DAT podcasts)
Finally -
Ironically, GG Poker is my favorite poker platform and I will still play there as a) I swim in the shallows b) I presume they have cleared up their act as they strive to enter the US market legitimately c) I am not sure why being ethical to the point of self-exclusion within the poker world makes any sense.
I believe the more interesting aspect at this juncture is to whether there will be any fallout of real consequence to any of the parties involved. My guess would be little if any. Many will hope it blows over and is consigned to the dustbin of history.
