PokerTribe.com Murky Legal Mess
FlushDraw and CalvinAyre.com took notice this week when it was revealed that PokerTribe.com, fronted by the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, received a gaming license from the stringent Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Committee. News reports have since surfaced that PokerTribe.com’s software owner is now being sued by his former Oklahoma Tribal partner.
Last Thursday, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Eddie Hamilton filed a lawsuit in a tribal court in Concho, Oklahoma against Universal Entertainment Group (UEG) owner, Fereidoun ‘Fred’ Khalilian.
From CalvinAyre.com:
In 2012, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes inked a deal with UEG to launch PokerTribes.com, an online poker site catering to international gamblers. Despite the tribe investing $9.5m, the project never got off the ground, and the tribes pulled the plug in 2014 following elections that brought Hamilton’s administration to power.
The lawsuit accuses Khalilian and UEG partners Isaias Almiras and Tatiana Vlasenko of engaging in “deceit, greed and utter disregard for the laws and economic well-being of the tribes.”
The lawsuit claims UEG didn’t actually own the poker software it sold the tribes, based on the fact that Khalilian was successfully sued in Georgia by a former business partner who claimed ownership of the software, although this judgment was subsequently overturned.
FlushDraw focused on four mystery conditions required before that Isle of Man gambling license would go into effect, one of which they seem to imply is a sale. They cite an excerpt from a PokerTribe.com presser:
“‘We are in the final stages of the sale and have been working diligently with Universal Entertainment Group to finalize the transfer of the online gaming assets, which includes the software license agreement, to the company that has an internationally-known brand,’ Chairman Walkup said. ‘This new relationship will be beneficial to the Tribe and the new software owner as PokerTribe.com enters the international online gaming market.'”
Both FlushDraw and CalvinAyre.com suggest there is no viable market for PokerTribe at this time.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
