60 Minutes Story

[pokeraddict]

The 60 Minutes story was not that bad. They didn't clarify what they mean by it being illegal in U.S. and Canada. Also there is an idiot at Neverwinpoker named Dan Druff (his real name is Todd Witteles) who had absolutely nothing to do with the investigation and was not stolen from and he rambles about paranoid stuff that made the industry look bad and made people think even less of him (see the 2+2 thread for example). He is already banned from 2+2 and just about the entire legit poker community thinks he is a retard. What on earth he made up to get on the show worked. The others were great and there is no way this was biased.

The KGC even found a way to make themselves look good basically begging the FBI etc. to come to them and get the evidence so they can bust Russ Hamilton. Also there were factual errors saying nobody ever knew who stole the money at AP when everyone knows it was Scott Tom and AJ Green. As it could have gone I think it went well and was not "Ban online poker". Really the only real negative was Dan Druff and anyone that knows him would have known he was a bad addition to the mix.

 

[mojo]

I watched it as well and was somewhat relieved that online gambling wasn't ripped to shreds. They even acknowledged that the law was impossible to enforce.

Not that it makes anything look good to do an expose' on a major online poker cheating scandle.

Did you notice the subtle dig in there? I can't remember exactly but it reffered to Russ Hamilton stealing more than his weight in gold.

 

[pokeraddict]

I can't remember exactly but it reffered to Russ Hamilton stealing more than his weight in gold.

The WSOP ME he won had some extra promo where the winner won their weight in silver as well. Rumor has it that he intentionally gained weight for more EV.

 

[mojo]

Ahhh, I didn't know that. Not a poker player here. Thanks for the info.

 

[pokeraddict]

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That is the story for those that missed it or not in North America.

 

[NASHVEGAS]

The 60 Minutes story was not that bad. They didn't clarify what they mean by it being illegal in U.S...........As it could have gone I think it went well and was not "Ban online poker".

Would be difficult to ban since it is already illegal, LOL.!

The national US media continually without clarification declares online gambling illegal. Perception, especially with the 60 Minutes viewer demographic, will/has become reality to the uninformed. Anyone ever had to defend the legality of their hobby ,lol, to their peers, family, etc.????

The "illegal" misrepresentation of fact occurs so often with the media (with the FBI getting the assist) that I no longer consider it just poor journalism although the media rarely is accurate period.

That said, the illegal misrepresentation , ironically may have been beneficial in a strange way to the online gaming industry as far as the public is concerned. Dunno!!

SIDENOTES:1. Glad to see the former bookkeeper of my old stomping ground known as The Boundry get mentioned. Maybe CBS should have mentioned ESPN (owned by ABC,lol) with Moneymaker in the context Moneymaker was mentioned!!

2. KILL PHIL-nevermind

 

[jetset]

The 60 Minutes story was not that bad. They didn't clarify what they mean by it being illegal in U.S. and Canada. Also there is an idiot at Neverwinpoker named Dan Druff (his real name is Todd Witteles) who had absolutely nothing to do with the investigation and was not stolen from and he rambles about paranoid stuff that made the industry look bad and made people think even less of him (see the 2+2 thread for example). He is already banned from 2+2 and just about the entire legit poker community thinks he is a retard. What on earth he made up to get on the show worked. The others were great and there is no way this was biased.

The KGC even found a way to make themselves look good basically begging the FBI etc. to come to them and get the evidence so they can bust Russ Hamilton. Also there were factual errors saying nobody ever knew who stole the money at AP when everyone knows it was Scott Tom and AJ Green. As it could have gone I think it went well and was not "Ban online poker". Really the only real negative was Dan Druff and anyone that knows him would have known he was a bad addition to the mix.

Thanks PA - The Washington Post is now running an expanded version (or part 2 if you will) of the story at:

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

This has a lot more detail and makes for an interesting read.

 

[mojo]

I am not knowledgable in the poker world. How do poker players feel about AP and UB since it's been several months? Do players still play there? Apologies for my lack of info in the Poker world.

 

[catrina m]

I have played at several

Ultimatebet and absolute lost my buisness before the scandal

I play at pokerstars and I believe them to be far superior than anyone else attempting poker.

Always a big money game going and if you know where to look the pro's play regularly.

Fun to watch daniel negraunu play online.

If some players have changed their screen name their new name may not by listed. You can play with these pros at Pokerstars.

#1_Lucky_One - Phil Hellmuth
PokerStars Poker Pro - Poker Alias
Dan Negreanu - KidPoker
Scott Fischman - Emptyseat88
Hoyt Corkins - EasyH
Erick Lindgren - EDOGN
Layne Flack - reloadthis
Prahlad Friedman - Prefontaine
Josh Arieh - razorbax
Mike (the Mouth) Matusouw - MrPokeJoke
Hans Tuna Lund - luckysucker
Erik Sagstrom - Erik123
Pete Giordano - TheBeat
Brett Jungblutt - gank
Thomas Thunder Keller - bigglesworth
David Benyamine - magicpitch
David Colclough - el blondie
Greg Raymer - fossilman
Tom Mcevoy - tom mcevoy
Chris Moneymaker - money800
Scotty Ngugen - Noo limit
Phil Hellmuth - #1_Lucky_One
Chip Jett - capnncoke
HowardLederer - the shrike
Simon Aces Trumper - PateK
Kirill Gerasimov - Dblgutshot
Jon Dagastino - Jdags
Gus Hansen - Brokski
Noah Boeken - Exclusive
Justin Bonomo - ZeeJustin ** No longer with Pokerstars - With Bodog Poker
Joe Cassidy - Butch Acidy
Paul Darden - D-Rockkk
Matt Dean - mattpackage
Ted Forrest - theprofess
Gavin Griffin - wsop2005
Richard Grijalva - gotmilk
Tam Tommy Hang - minatmms
Cliff Josephy - JohnnyBax
John Juanda - luckbox
Shawn Keller - chickenlittl
Hans Lund - luckysucker
Jim Meehan - actiondonkey
Michael Mizrachi - TheGrinder
Evelyn Ng - Evybabee
Edward Moncada - ebolivia
Paul Phillips - extempore
Mark Seif - Buster Love
Jason Strasser - strassa2
Barry Greenstein - crazyplayr
David Williams - RugDoctor
Paul Wolfe - DOUBLEDUCE
Dustin Woolf - neverwin
Todd Witteles - Dan Druff
Aaron Bartley - GambleAB
Richard Brodie - QuietLion
Joe Hachem - JoeHachem
Isabelle Mercier - NoMercy
WestTexasMan - Shawn Rice
Wil Wheaton - Wil Wheaton
Tuan Lam - TuanLam
Dario Minieri - Dariominieri
Ylon Schwartz - TenthPlanet
Scott Montgomery - r_a_y sm
Mats Sundin - MatsSundin
Peter Eastgate - Isser
Ivan Demidov - hasuling

 

[catrina m]

I also found this list. I have watched kidpoker play on stars and he is daniel.

These professional poker player online screen names are correct to the best of our knowledge (note: many pros change their screen names regularly, so there are bound to be some old/incorrect listings.) If you'd like to help us out and send in known screen names, please do. If you have evidence of an error, or are a pro wanting a correction, please Email Us and we will amend the listing.

PokerStars Screen Names
Barry Greenstein-barryg1
Dan Negreanu-DoubleSuited
Scott Fischman-Emptyseat88
Hoyt Corkins-EasyH
EDOGN- Erick Lindgren
reloadthis- Layne Flack
Prefontaine- Prahlad Friedman
razorbax- Josh Arieh
MrPokeJoke- Mike Matusouw
luckysucker- Hans "Tuna" Lund
Erik123- Erik Sagstrom
TheBeat- Pete Giordano
gank- Brett Jungblutt
bigglesworth- Thomas Keller
magicpitch- David Benyamine
el blondie- David Colclough
fossilman - Greg Raymer
tom mcevoy - Tom Mcevoy
money800 - Chris Moneymaker
Noo limit - scootty ngugen
#1_Lucky_One - Phil Hellmuth
capnncoke - Chip Jett
the shrike - Howard Lederer
PateK - Simon "Aces" Trumper
Dblgutshot - Kirill Gerasimov
Jdags - Jon Dagastino
Brokski - Gus Hansen
Boeken, Noah - Exclusive
Bonomo, Justin - ZeeJustin
Cassidy, Joe - Butch Acidy
Darden, Paul - D-Rockkk
Dean, Matt - mattpackage
Forrest, Ted - theprofess
Griffin, Gavin - wsop2005
Grijalva, Richard - gotmilk
Josephy, Cliff - JohnnyBax
Juanda, John - luckbox
Keller, Shawn - chickenlittl
Lund, Hans - luckysucker
Meehan, Jim - actiondonkey
Mizrachi, Michael - TheGrinder
Ng, Evelyn - Evybabee
Moncada, Edward - ebolivia
Phillips, Paul - extempore
Seif, Mark - Buster Love
Strasser, Jason - strassa2
Barry Greenstein - crazyplayr
Williams, David - RugDoctor
Wolfe, Paul - DOUBLEDUCE
Woolf, Dustin - neverwin
Witteles, Todd - Dan Druff
Aaron Bartley- GambleAB
Richard Brodie- QuietLion
Joe Hachem -JoeHachem
Isabelle Mercier- NoMercy
WestTexasMan- Shawn Rice
Wil Wheaton -Wil Wheaton


___________________



Ultimate Bet Screen Names

Annie Duke - AnnieDuke
Phil Hellmuth - PhilHellmuth
Devilfish - David Ulliot
Antonio Esfandiari - MagicAntonio
LayneFlack - Layne Flack
joe buttons - Phil Ivey
psykokwak-Bruno Fitoussi
Erik123-Erik Sagstrom
atl-angela - Josh Arieh
dill pickle - Mike Matosow
Mahatma - Prahlad Friedman
Tallphil - Phil Gordon
empty chair - Eric Sidel
scottynguyen - Scotty Nguyen
(seldom plays on UB)
Ticker Erik Lindgren
Peasant - Juha Helpi
bizingo is Ben Affleck
tiltboy, Rafe Furst
Krullis, Daniel Larsson
wetspot, Harley Hall
Zhuge Liang, John Juana
kid55 is Freddie Deeb
thunderkeller = Thomas Keller
JohhnyBax-Cliff Josephy
Brsavage-Chris Savage
Poker HO-Mark Kroon
NSXT1-Todd Arnold
KrazyKanuck-James Worth
Quiet Lion - Richard Brodie
ebolivia - Moncada, Edward
bottsky - Kevin Bott
Green Plastic - Taylor Caby,
mattpackage - Matt Dean
WestTexasMan- Shawn Rice
ZeeJustin - Justin Bonomo
"Miami" John Cernuto - Miami John
Scott Fischman-Emptyseat88
Full Tilt Pros

Aaron Bartley
Joe Beevers
Andy Bloch
Barny Boatman
Ross Boatman
Farzad Bonyadi
Alan Boston
Steve Brecher
Richard Brodie
Allen Cunningham
John D'Agostino
Chris Ferguson
Eli Elezra
Brad Booth
David Benyamine
Perry Friedman
Rafe Furst
Kristy Gazes
Phil Gordon
Clonie Gowen
David Grey
Jennifer Harman
Phil Ivey
John Juanda
Howard Lederer
Toto Leonidas
Erick Lindgren
Greg Mascio
Mike Matusow
Robert Mizrachi
GregFBTMueller
David Oppenheim
Stuart Paterson
Ben Roberts
HuckleberrySeed
Erik Seidel
Keith Sexton
David Singer
Gavin Smith
Ram Vaswani
Mark Vos
Paul Wolfe
Steve Zolotow

More Full Tilt Screen Names:

Profbackwards = Ted Forrest
mrnutz = Thomas Keller
Luigi66369 = Patrik Antonius
Ballsrider = David Benyamine
looseslots = David Benyamine
LFISGD = Brad Booth
Erik1223 = Erik Sagstrom
CaseyAtTheBat = Chip Reese
888poker = Chau Giang
Nizot Skizard = Joe Cassidy
eastsideslim = Dustin Woolf
TeeDitty = Tuan Le
Arbianight = Rami Boukai
EazyPeazy = Abe Mosseri
Mafews = Rory Mathews
Willis Fillers = Willis Fillers
SheFaLLs = Ozzy 87
Miss Lulu = Robert Williamson III
FakeSky = Daniel Alaei
fidelio = Joe Sebok
Son-in-law = Zubin Patel
batoelrob = Rob Hollink
Poltergeist = Ray Dehkharghani
sbrugby = Brian Townsend
Heathh69 = Heath Hitchcock


livewinner=Madcaddy/McKenna(Rumored)
Shoe Lab = Chau Giang (Rumored)
SxMxF = Michael Mizrachi (Rumored)
CrazyZachary = Barry Greenstein (Rumored)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Internet Pros - Top Online Players

aaronbeen - Aaron Been
ActionJeff - Jeff Garza
B_O_K_E - Dan Bokesh
Beanie - Paul Nobles
BrooDogg - Sean Bruder
brsavage - Chris Savage
Duff McGuire - Mike Skelton
Fox - Chris Wallace
GambleAB - Aaron Bartley
Gigabet - Daryl Dickens
GotSkillz? - Ryan Fisler
Green Plastic - Taylor Caby
Jennicide - Jennifer Leigh
JohnnyBax - Cliff Josephy
muchaka - Corey Cheresnick
muddywater - Andrew Wiggins
NSXT2 - Todd Arnold
Ozzy87 - Auranzeb Sheikh
Pearl Jammer - Jon Turner
POker HO- Mark Kroon
Rizen - Eric Lynch
Roothlus - Adam Levy
SamENole - Matt Smith
Seal - David Eisenstien
Sheets - Eric Haber
Stinger885 - Brian Hastings
TheBeat - Pete Giordano
TheDonator - Stuart Patterson
The Shrike - Jeff Henry
The Takeover - Nick Shulman
TheWacoKidd - Jared Hamby
yellowsub - Jeff Williams

Please realize the pros are "on the job" while they are getting pounded by questions. Some are okay with a few questions. Be polite and patient and maybe you can get a few answers back. They may be playing 8 tables and not have time. Don't take it personal.

If you would like to help us out and send in known screen names, please do. If you see an error or are a pro wanting a correction please email us and we will correct it if you have evidence of an error. Don't just guess though. Have a reason to believe it is the correct player. We get many of ours from Pro Tourneys online that list players names next to their screen names when they cash.

 

[pokeraddict]

To correct my earlier statement Todd was a victim of the theft but had zero to do with any of the investigation. He has tried to play damage control with some of his comments but it isn't working.

 

[Simmo!]

I watched the first minute or so but when they said it was an industry that "operates outside US law", I gave up. No clarification of the fact that was only in a few States indicated to me it was going to be "sensationalist" journalism.

 

[jetset]

To correct my earlier statement Todd was a victim of the theft but had zero to do with any of the investigation. He has tried to play damage control with some of his comments but it isn't working.

The perception given in the television program and the Washington Post is that he was part of the investigation.

Both made it sound as if he was actively involved, but perhaps he was indulging in a little self promotion - his name certainly made it up there with real investigation participants like Serge Ravitch, Nat Arem, Mike Josem etc.

I found the two Washington Post articles on the debacle more informative than the television production. Although most of it was old news it was an interesting recap of events with a few new twists and statements thrown in.

Opinions on the Sixty Minutes program seem to vary, but many appear to feel it was rather superficial, somewhat negatively biased and in places inaccurate and overlooking important elements in the story.

One can't get away from the fact that this massive cheating debacle occurred and it was only the tenacious determination of the player-detectives that pressured the owners and the 'regulators' into some sort of enquiry, even though it lacked (as the Washington Post opines) aggression and drive. Had it not been for Ravitch, Arem, Josem et al I'm pretty sure it would have been blown off - as the original denials by the owner illustrates.

The Catania enquiry made one comment I found shocking - that there was no technical due diligence done on the software when it was acquired from Excapsa. That also throws into question the efficacy of the software checks at that time by the KGC imo.

Quote: The company told The Post that it performed full financial and operational due diligence before the sale but that it did not find the unauthorised software. However, Catania, the outside investigator, said that UltimateBet officials did "no due diligence on the technical part. None." At the same time, he said he did not think Norton was aware of the cheating. Unquote.

Hopefully there's a positive bottom line here - the capability of the player community to root out and expose bad practice and cheating will have shaken up the industry and perhaps resulted in a more thorough approach and future focus on the danger spots that have been revealed.

 

[jetset]

Update

Here's an interesting "clarification" from the KGC on the 60 Minutes and Washington Post stories.

Note especially point 4, which advises that even if Tokwiro is not going after the cheaters, the KGC is:

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, regulator of the UltimateBet and Absolute Poker websites involved in the major cheating scandals covered by the Washington Post and 60 Minutes publicity, was critical of some elements ommitted from the reports by the two news organisations, and issued the following 'clarification':

"The Kahnaw:ke Gaming Commission (KGC) and its agents, having viewed the CBS News item entitled, The Cheaters extends the following clarification and information which, although provided to the shows producers, had been left out of the storyline.

"1. The Ultimate Bet (UB) cheating was initiated while UB was owned and operated by Excapsa (a public company whose Board of Directors included several high-profile Canadians). Pursant to a settlement agreement finalized in November, 2008, Excapsa agreed to pay Tokwiro ENRG US$15M.

"2. All players that were adversely affected by cheating (both AP and UB) were fully reimbursed. In the case of UB, these refunds amounted to over US$20M. The reimbursement of UB players was affected within days after the Excapsa settlement. The KGC played a key role in facilitating and monitoring reimbursements.

"3. The KGC and its agents have reviewed AP/UB operations and systems and have confirmed that all necessary steps have been implemented to prevent against cheating in future. Migration to the CEREUS software platform was approved and closely monitored by KGC.

"4. Contrary to claims made in the 60 Minutes story, in addition to significant penalties levied under its Regulations (eg. fines totaling US$2M), the KGC has initiated a criminal complaint against at least one cheater (Russ Hamilton) and is cooperating with law enforcement authorities. Other such complaints may follow."

Point 4 of the Kahawake clarification will be well received by the player community, which has expressed outrage at the apparent immunity from prosecution implied by Tokwiro group statements that it had not pursued the cheaters in return for cooperation in finding and plugging the software flaws and identifying prejudiced players.

 

[silcnlayc]

60 Minutes' and Washington Post Coverage Highlights Why Congress Should Regulate Inte

60 Minutes' and Washington Post Coverage Highlights Why Congress Should Regulate Internet Gambling and Protect Consumers
PRNewsWire News ReleasesPublished: 12/01/08 11:45 AM CSTRating:

NewsvineCommentCurrent prohibition leaves Americans unprotected

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, today issued the following statement in regards to recent coverage on CBS News' "60 Minutes" and in The Washington Post on the dangers Americans face when they gamble online.


"The 60 Minutes and Washington Post stories demonstrate unambiguously that the existing government prohibition on Internet gambling is a failure and a mistake.

The millions of Americans who continue to gamble online are vulnerable to being defrauded by offshore operators who exploit U.S. prohibition policies, leaving U.S. consumers without legal protections when they make a bet or play poker online. It is clear that a different approach is necessary to protect consumers, as well as to recapture the billions of tax dollars currently lost to offshore gambling operators and out of the U.S. economy. Now more than ever, Congress should understand why it should step in and regulate the industry to protect the public. We are hopeful that increased attention in the media about the issue will lead to increased movement in Congress.


Left out from the 60 Minutes and Post coverage were details about the specific benefits achieved through regulation.

Legislation introduced last year by Rep. Barney Frank, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007, would establish an enforcement framework for licensed gambling operators to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the U.S. It includes a number of built-in consumer protections, including safeguards against all of the types of improper activity identified in the recent news coverage. These safeguards include protections to combat compulsive and underage gambling, money laundering, fraud and identity theft. Moreover, as the coverage reveals, the structure of the Internet allows for greater protections since there is a complete audit trail of all Internet gambling activity and transactions. A companion piece of legislation would ensure the collection of taxes on regulated Internet gambling activities. Revenues from regulated Internet gambling are estimated to be between $8.7 billion and $42.8 billion over 10 years, according to a tax revenue analysis prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers."


About Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative

The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative promotes the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. For more information on the Initiative, please visit www.safeandsecureig.org. The Web site provides a means by which individuals can register support for regulated Internet gambling with their elected representatives.




SOURCE Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative

Link Removed (invalid URL)

 

[megan isla]

Its a bit an old issue but im glad CBS took action with it although cheating is prominent in all gambling and been part of the poker world.