French Regulators Cut Off Full Tilt Poker: Company Unable to Prove it Can Pay Players

Just days after the Alderney Gaming Commission suspended Full Tilt Poker’s license in the UK and elsewhere throughout Europe, French authorities have done the same.

French online gambling regulator ARJEL announced the suspension over the weekend following an effort to get FTP to demonstrate its financial viability.  Full Tilt Poker was unable to provide the regulatory body with necessary proof that it was able to pay customers.

Full Tilt has yet to pay back any US customers since authorities in that country indicted two executives and fined what was the world’s second largest online poker room over a billion dollars. 

The LA Times reported late last week that attorneys for the firm claim a group of European investors were set to inject funds into the struggling company in the coming weeks, however, many in the poker community speculate that FTP is only “trying to buy time” and they will believe it when people start getting paid.

Another company indicted at the same time as Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, has since paid back all its US players in full and continues to operate outside the United States without interruption.

Analyst Daniel Stewart & Co, said, "It is still unclear as how long the suspension would be implemented but clearly French citizens would no longer be able to play on Tilt’s dot.fr site following the suspension.

“In our view the latest developments (Alderney & France) will have done irreparable damage to the beleaguered poker operator, and we expect further migration to the likes of Stars, BPTY [bwin.party], 888 and PTEC [Playtech] to follow”

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